After a rule of law hearing about Hungary in Brussels on Monday, a pro-government commentator finds it strange that Hungary and other ‘new’ member states are criticised for alleged violations of democratic values. He claims that democratic decline is more prevalent in the West than in the East of the continent. READ MORE
A left-wing author who served for 12 years as a Socialist MP and then as a member of the European Parliament warns the Hungarian opposition against expecting ‘salvation from foreign powers’. READ MORE
A pro-government commentator takes Chancellor Merkel’s ‘placatory tone’ as an indication of Hungary’s increasing political weight and economic success. A left-wing pundit accuses Chancellor Merkel of compromising on core values in order to preserve economic ties between Hungary and Germany. READ MORE
The leading online economic daily comments on the draft EU budget plans, and suspects that the EU will use carrots to lure Hungary into the Eurozone. A pro-government commentator thinks that the core EU states do not respect the sovereignty of other members at all. READ MORE
Reacting to record breaking growth statistics, a left-wing columnist predicts that the growth curb has reached its peak and expects slower growth next year. READ MORE
A liberal EU expert contends that PM Orbán has become a major player on the European level and doesn’t have to fear European fund cuts. Another liberal columnist calls on the government to strengthen strategic cooperation with other member states in the dispute over the proposed EU budget. READ MORE
A pro-government commentator finds a plan by Brussels to punish Hungary through budget cuts outrageous. A left-wing columnist predicts that Hungary will pay a high price for PM Orbán’s disputes with the EU. READ MORE
As Prime Minister Orbán meets the leaders of the European People’s Party, a left-wing columnist believes that European conservatives may reprimand PM Orbán for his illiberal policies. A pro-government commentator dismisses such speculation, and calls on the EU not to punish Hungary and Poland by limiting their access to cohesion funds. READ MORE
As Chancellor Merkel proposes that EU structural funds should be contingent on accepting the redistribution of asylum-seekers, conservative commentators accuse her, as well as the EU, of blackmail. READ MORE
A university lecturer argues that it would be unfair if the European Union were to introduce new political conditions for regional and cohesion subsidies to continue beyond 2020. His contribution is part of a debate over calculations by the French left–wing star economist Tomas Piketty, who wrote that on aggregate Hungary and the rest of the Visegrád countries are the losers of the ‘free market access for development subsidies’ system operated by the European Union. READ MORE