Commentators in right wing dailies welcome the news that the IMF has accepted the amended National Bank Act and will now resume negotiations. Left of centre dailies criticise the delays, the prevarications and fear that the government might at any time decide to turn back and play the ”Turkish card” again. READ MORE
Commentators on the right, the left and in the centre all agree that the new 10-point “employment protection” programme is a step in the right direction, but the latter warn that costs are not covered by planned adjustments to the budget. READ MORE
A left-wing commentator welcomes the European Commission’s decision to require Hungary to tax farmers who distil brandy. A right-wing columnist find the demand ridiculous and accuses the EU of applying double standards, once again, towards Hungary. READ MORE
The leading pro-government daily welcomes the decision by the ECOFIN to lift the suspension of 500 million Euros in aid to Hungary, and explains it as an open acknowledgement of the validity of the government’s economic policies. Left-wing commentators, on the other hand, believe that the Hungarian government has wasted two years and was forced by the EU to back-pedal on the counter-productive economic strategy it initially pursued. READ MORE
Commentators on both the left and the right warn that the victory of Greek moderate parties in Sunday’s elections will not bring the economic and political crisis in the country to an end. They all agree that if Greece defaults, it will entail the end of the European Union. READ MORE
Commentators on the left and right trade accusations about hidden agendas and propagating half-truths concerning the charges of anti-Semitism, the heritage of Imre Nagy and the Strasbourg court ruling on wearing the red star in public. READ MORE
A right wing journalist believes the Romanian elections turned out much as expected: voters punished the former governing coalition for going along with the dictates of the IMF. A left wing daily, on the other hand, publishes a commentary with the title “RMDSZ-Fidesz 3:0”, suggesting that the engagement of Fidesz on behalf of two small ethnic Hungarian parties backfired. READ MORE
A left-wing pundit chastises public officials and the conservative press for what he calls their pathetic attempts to deny the charges levelled against the government in the West. Former chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel of Austria takes up PM Orbán’s defence. Otherwise, observers across the political spectrum agree that Hungary faces significant difficulties in the months ahead. READ MORE
Opinions diverge sharply on the post-First World War peace treaty and what it means for contemporary Hungary. A left-wing commentator believes the government side is exploiting the anniversary in its rivalry with the far right, while a pro-government commentator complains that the European Union does not stand up for the rights of the Hungarian minority in neighbouring countries. A moderate conservative historian suggests that Trianon should be considered for what it is – history. READ MORE
Commentators discuss the government’s plan to introduce mandatory voter registration, and caution that pre-registration may not be a useful tool to keep angry, politically under-informed and possibly radical voters away from the ballot box. READ MORE