Analysts were in no doubt that European finance ministers would approve the partial suspension of next year’s cohesion funds for Hungary. What they do not agree upon is who is at fault. READ MORE
Commenting on the European Commission’s decision to launch infringement procedures against Hungary, left-wing columnists believe that Brussels took a moral stand, while their conservative counterparts interpret the Commission’s decision as an example of the EU’s double standards. READ MORE
Centre-right Fidesz is walking a tightrope, trying to distance itself from the radical right-wing Jobbik party in order to strengthen its democratic and pro-EU image, without alienating radical leaning right-wing voters, a liberal weekly argues. READ MORE
Commentators from across the political spectrum are upset by the opinion of the Advocate General of the European Court who has suggested that Slovakia did not violate EU law by banning László Sólyom, the President of Hungary from entering Slovakia in 2009. READ MORE
A Marxist philosopher believes that the European Commission’s proposal to suspend 495 million Euros in development support simply reinforces PM Viktor Orbán’s power, and will only serve to help Fidesz win the next general elections. READ MORE
Left-wing and liberal analysts blame the government for the European Commission’s threat to withhold hundreds of millions of Euros in subsidies. They suggest that both the government and the public will have to acknowledge the necessity of pro-market reforms. READ MORE
Magyar Hírlap carries a debate on whether leaving the European Union is a realistic option for Hungary, while Magyar Nemzet, which also echoes the displeasure of right-wing circles with the threat of Union sanctions against Hungary, asks if the EU can be successful without respecting national traditions. READ MORE
A centrist analyst wonders how Mr Orbán’s government might act in response to the threat of the European Commission to freeze hundreds of millions of Euros in EU subsidies. Gábor Török speculates that it would not be an unreasonable act for Fidesz to call an early election. READ MORE
The two main pro-government dailies fully expected that the European Commission would propose sanctions against Hungary, and argue that such a decision would be unjustified. READ MORE
A left wing commentator believes the European Union is disproportionately severe in its threats to Hungary, but likens the behaviour of the Hungarian government to that of a naughty schoolboy.