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Hungarian Politics

Started by Tamas, March 09, 2011, 01:25:14 PM

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The Brain

Why do we have shithole countries like Hungary in the EU and not Norway?
Women want me. Men want to be with me.

Duque de Bragança

Because Sweden let Norway away.

[spoiler]Blame Denmark too.[/spoiler]

Crazy_Ivan80

Quote from: Tamas on January 17, 2018, 08:57:05 AM
The.Mind.Boggles.

the mind boggles not: Orban is part of the EPP, Poland's PiS is not. It's pretty easy.

The Larch

Hey Tamas, you might be interested in this:

Quote
Orbán allies could use EU as cash register, MEPs say
Hungarian PM's supporters are winning EU-funded contracts while facing little competition

A European parliamentary watchdog has called for tougher scrutiny of EU spending in Hungary, as concern grows among MEPs and transparency campaigners that a class of oligarchs with ties to the prime minister, Viktor Orbán, could use the EU "as a cash register".

Hungary is on course to receive €25bn (£22.2bn) from the EU in the seven years to 2021, making it one of the largest per-capita recipients of the bloc's economic development funds.

MEPs are increasingly worried that funds are going to Orbán's family, friends and supporters, who are winning EU-funded infrastructure contracts with little competition – a red flag for anti-corruption campaigners.

Ingeborg Grässle, a German centre-right MEP who leads the European parliament's budgetary control committee, said Hungary had "some specific problems which need to be tackled".

Following a recent visit to Hungary, Grässle and her committee found that 36% of tenders for public projects had only one bidder.

Poland and Croatia had an even higher proportion of single-bids for public money at 45%, which the MEPs considered unusually high, she said. "Rules seem to be respected, but at the same time they ... avoid competition," she said in emailed comments.

Grässle said the problems were not isolated to Hungary, and a new kind of "semi-legal" irregularity was emerging. "We see oligarchs in some member states becoming politicians and benefiting at the same time from EU and national money for their companies," she said.

She is urging the EU to step up control by using a recently agreed regulation to stop conflicts of interest. Without such action "we accept as legal a grab into the cash register by acting politicians or their friends", she said.

The Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš, the second richest man in the country, came under renewed pressure last month after a leaked EU report concluded numerous laws had been broken to obtain EU subsidies for a hotel and conference centre he owns. Babiš denies any wrongdoing and has said the allegations are a plot by his opponents.

Following an investigation in Hungary, the EU's anti-fraud office, Olaf, said it had found serious irregularities related to street-lighting contracts awarded to a company that had been owned by Orbán's son-in-law, István Tiborcz. Olaf has called on the European commission to claw back more than €40m (£35.5m) of EU funds spent on lighting projects.

Tiborcz had limited business experience when his company, Elios Innovativ, won contracts to supply EU-funded street lighting for Hungarian towns. Some of the lamps Elios supplied were more than 50% more expensive than market prices, according to analysis by Direkt36, an investigative journalism website that is part of the Global Investigative Journalism Network. Tiborcz sold his stake in Elios shortly before the EU's anti-fraud office began investigating.

Elios did not respond to requests for comment, and Tiborcz is yet to respond to Olaf's allegations.

Olaf had already recommended that European institutions claw back €283m that Hungary has received to build a new metro line in Budapest, after finding evidence of "fraud and possibly corruption". The project was planned under previous governments and completed in 2014, shortly before Orbán won a second term. Olaf's inquiry touched on unnamed UK companies, according to its annual report.

"The European Union structural funds have an eminent role in the questionable enrichment of government cronies and business oligarchs," said Miklós Ligeti, the head of legal affairs at Transparency International Hungary. "We would expect the EU to be much more anxious about the dismantling of democratic checks."

Concern about the misspending of EU money is likely to ricochet into a tense debate about the bloc's future budget, set to fall by €13bn a year because of Brexit.

Frank Engel, a centre-right Luxembourg MEP, said Hungary should be obliged to join a newly created EU prosecution service if it wanted to continue to receive EU funds. Twenty EU countries agreed last year to create a European public prosecutor's office to investigate the misuse of EU funds, but Hungary was among those that declined to take part.

"Getting public contracts now in Hungary is a matter of friendship and not a matter of merit," Engel said. While "not technically materially illegal, where else in the European Union would you have a system where public contracts of significant size go to family members of the head of government?"he said. "I don't think that happens anywhere else."

The European commission said it had zero tolerance of the fraudulent use of EU funds. "Member states are primarily responsible for the sound management of EU funds, according to the shared management principle," it said.

A spokesperson for Hungary's international communications office responded to Olaf's investigation into Elios by noting that the anti-fraud body had investigated street-lighting contracts under the former Socialist government. "Similarly to the previous investigation, we also fully support this latest investigation."

Further questions were directed to the Hungarian prime minister's office, which said Hungary had an extensive system of controls for monitoring EU funds.

Orbán's office also said Grässle's figures were out of date. Citing data from Hungary's public procurement office, it said EU contracts with only one bidder had fallen to 26.3% of the total in 2017 – similar, it said, to other countries in the region.

Orbán insisted in December that the Hungarian economy could manage without EU funds. "Hungary has nothing to fear as it is not dependent on any outsiders' money," he said.

QuoteHow Hungarian PM's supporters profit from EU-backed projects
While Viktor Orbán has criticised EU, some of his friends and family have won EU-funded infrastructure contracts

The train to nowhere, some dazzlingly expensive street lights and the pipe-fitter turned business mogul who happens to be the prime minister's friend. One common thread links them all: Hungary's combative leader, Viktor Orbán, and his bête noire, the European Union.

Orbán has attacked the EU relentlessly since he took office in 2010, comparing it to the Soviet Union and launching a "Stop Brussels" campaign. At the same time, some of his family and supporters have become rich, partly due to winning EU-funded contracts to build Hungary's roads, railways, waterworks and other public infrastructure.

More than 80% of public investment in Hungary comes from the EU's cohesion funds, which are intended to help poorer regions and countries catch up.

"Mr Orbán has been bashing the EU for years; at the same time his inner circle is getting rich through EU funds," said András Pethő, a journalist who co-founded Direkt36, which investigates Hungary's new crony capitalism.

Orbán's son-in-law is one of the most prominent people to have gained from EU funds. István Tiborcz, who married Orbán's eldest daughter, Ráhel, in 2013, owned Elios Innovativ when it won contracts to supply Hungarian towns with EU-funded street lamps.

In some cases the lamps proved to be 56% more expensive than usual, although prices of LED bulbs were falling at the time, Direkt36 found. Last month the EU's anti-fraud office, Olaf, called on Brussels to recoup €40m after it found "serious irregularities" and a "conflict of interest" following a two-year investigation into street-lighting contracts that were signed when the company was owned by Tiborcz.

Olaf does not publish its reports or reveal who is named in them, but the Guardian understands that the irregularities relate to contracts signed in 2011-15, when Tiborcz was an owner of the company.

In 2016, Hungary's police closed an investigation into Elios after concluding no law had been broken.

In a separate case, about €2m in EU funds helped pay for a tourist train from Orbán's childhood village, Felcsút, to another hamlet three and a half miles away. Hundreds of people would need to travel every day for the project to break even, but most days the vintage carriages are nearly empty.

The handful of visitors taking the heritage train can visit a 4,000-seater football stadium in Felcsút, which could accommodate the entire village more than twice over. Orbán, a former five-a-side player, is a regular at the Pancho stadium, which is a stone's throw from his house.

The stadium was built by the construction company of the Felcsút mayor, Lőrinc Mészáros, the prime minister's friend and the eighth richest man in Hungary. A former gas fitter, Mészáros owns 121 companies that span construction, real estate, media, wine and farming. His companies and those owned by his family are some of the biggest beneficiaries of public procurement contracts in Hungary, according to the transparency website Átlátszó, which estimates that 83% of Mészáros family companies' earnings come from EU sources.

In 2017, Mészáros's wealth tripled to HF106bn (€327m), according to Forbes Hungary. Spokespeople for Mészáros did not respond to a request for comment. Once, when asked to explain his achievements, Mészáros answered: "God, luck and Viktor Orbán."

Some beneficiaries are harder to trace because sub-contractors do not appear in public databases. A company owned by the prime minister's father, Győző Orbán, was reported by Direkt36 to be supplying concrete and stone to two large EU-funded sewer projects and an EU-funded railway along Lake Balaton that is €54m over budget. Győző Orbán has not responded to the claims, while the companies involved have declined to comment, citing corporate confidentiality.

EU authorities are still waiting on Budapest to repay €283m that was misspent in building a new metro line in Budapest. Olaf, the anti-fraud office, has said it found "serious irregularities – fraud and possible corruption ... in all phases of the project", which was said to have cost €1.7bn.

The European commission declined to comment on whether the €283m recommended for recovery by Olaf had been returned, but an EU source said the EU was still awaiting the decision of Hungary's national prosecutor. "The EU demands ... that all EU funds for this project be paid back," the source said.

Planning and construction of the Budapest metro extension began under the last socialist government and was completed after Orbán came to power in 2010.

Miklós Ligeti, head of legal affairs at Transparency International Hungary, said that since 2010 Hungary had seen "the disruption and dismantling of the checks and balances system in the country. One of the disruptions is the public procurement authority. It should be an independent institution, but it is not, it is a captured institution."

He said Hungary was now in the grip of party state capture: "It is not influential lobbies or pressure groups capturing public power, it is more like a political clique made of certain politicians, influential people or oligarchs."

Worries about oligarchs becoming rich on Brussels largesse could undermine confidence in EU spending just as the bloc is embarking on tortuous negotiations to agree its next seven-year budget. "It is vital that everyone from the incoming German finance minister to the finance minister of Greece can explain to the public that their money is delivering public goods rather than serving private interests," said Heather Grabbe, a former EU official who now leads the Open Society European Policy Institute.

Some insiders worry that EU leaders are reluctant to challenge Orbán, who sits in the same centre-right political group – the European People's party – as the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker.

The EPP stance was "one of the major issues", said one senior figure. "If we made it clear to them that they no longer belonged to the family, their stance would be altered."

A spokesperson at the Hungarian prime minister's office rejected suggestions of any conflict of interest in spending public money, stating that the government had adopted relevant EU legislation and domestic legislation with "more stringent rules regarding conflicts of interest than the directives".

Olaf does not publish its investigations, citing the protection of "legitimate rights of the persons concerned" and personal data, as well as ensuring confidentiality of investigations and judicial follow-up.

"The question that always comes to mind is what exactly is the EU doing about this," Sáling said. "Such a big amount of money is thrown out the window, how is it possible there is not more spectacular reaction?"

ulmont

Hey, the NYT has realized that Orban could now be a cautionary tale:

Quote"Orban has pioneered a new model of single-party rule that has spread through Eastern Europe, which is unlikely to spread west because civil society, independent institutions and the rule of law is too strong in Western Europe," said Mr. Ignatieff, who is also a human rights scholar and a former leader of the Liberal Party in Canada. He added, however, that it "could break the E.U. apart if this conflict between liberal democracy in the West and single-party states in the East can't be resolved."

Zoltan Kovacs, the Hungarian government spokesman, and the only current official who agreed to speak on the record for this article, defended Mr. Orban's actions as a determined effort "to get rid of the remnants of communism that are still with us, not only in terms of institutions but in terms of mentality."
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/02/10/world/europe/hungary-orban-democracy-far-right.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com

Tamas

QuoteZoltan Kovacs, the Hungarian government spokesman, and the only current official who agreed to speak on the record for this article, defended Mr. Orban's actions as a determined effort "to get rid of the remnants of communism that are still with us, not only in terms of institutions but in terms of mentality."

:lol:

That mentality is what they thrive on. That, and a thousand years of feudalistic institutions, just like in Russia.

Valmy

Only in the sense that taking crack helps rid you of your crack addiction.
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

Tamas

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/26/hungary-surprise-defeat-for-viktor-orban-in-bellwether-by-election


This is a big defeat. The city only voted Fidesz or their present lackies the Christian Democrats since around 1998. Also, more importantly, it was considered to be the personal fiefdom of one of Orban's main lieutenant, Janos Lazar (the only truly very talented sociopath in that gang of sociopaths).

Of course, the same kind of all-party cooperation is impossible to deliver on a national scale, but I think it can have an impact by showing that showing up and voting can make a difference. Fidesz got more votes than the last time they won, but it wasn't enough because this time people opposing them bothered to show up.

They must be shitting their pants, as their main lapdog journalist just announced a "Peace March" for 15th of March, something they used to do regularly when they had really strong popular support, but shied away from since their demographics sunk to the most uneducated rural folk.

The Brain

If only some freedom lovers could act on 15th of March. :(
Women want me. Men want to be with me.

Tamas

This was interesting. For a couple of days several "journalists" and other forefront people of the government talked about the need to share positive messages instead of Soros-ing, in light of this big mayoral defeat.

Then about yesterday morning every such voice silenced and everyone returned blaming Soros for everything, like the well-oiled Goebelsian machine they are.

Also, they have a new enemy now to warn against on giant posters: The UN!



It says: "the UN wants as to continuously accept migrants. HUNGARY DECIDES. NOT THE UN!"

The casus belli for this is some kind of meaningless UN declaration on migration that they want to vote on, and Hungary quickly grabbed the opportunity to make an ass out of themselves and start a fight.

I do wonder where they go next.

Tamas

https://apnews.com/6e2d360ea32d410e8b24e9ad33d40586/Hungarian-minister-says-migrants-make-Vienna-dirtier,-poorer

QuoteBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — In a story March 7 about a Hungarian official in Austria, The Associated Press erroneously translated a word in a quote from Janos Lazar, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff. The translation should have been "dirt, filth," not "hospices."

It only gets better after that.

Valmy

That article could have been written 150 years ago. 'Slavs and Jews make Vienna dirtier and filthier.'
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

Duque de Bragança

Quote from: Tamas on March 07, 2018, 05:00:21 AM
https://apnews.com/6e2d360ea32d410e8b24e9ad33d40586/Hungarian-minister-says-migrants-make-Vienna-dirtier,-poorer

QuoteBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — In a story March 7 about a Hungarian official in Austria, The Associated Press erroneously translated a word in a quote from Janos Lazar, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff. The translation should have been "dirt, filth," not "hospices."

It only gets better after that.

Was he traumatised by the 10. Bezirk/District? The U6 a.k.a Balkan Express?

Tamas

Quote from: Duque de Bragança on March 07, 2018, 09:59:24 AM
Quote from: Tamas on March 07, 2018, 05:00:21 AM
https://apnews.com/6e2d360ea32d410e8b24e9ad33d40586/Hungarian-minister-says-migrants-make-Vienna-dirtier,-poorer

QuoteBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — In a story March 7 about a Hungarian official in Austria, The Associated Press erroneously translated a word in a quote from Janos Lazar, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff. The translation should have been "dirt, filth," not "hospices."

It only gets better after that.

Was he traumatised by the 10. Bezirk/District? The U6 a.k.a Balkan Express?

He was traumatised by the election loss of his personal fiefdom two weeks ago. I guess he felt he must make amends and help in the campaign.

Duque de Bragança

Quote from: Tamas on March 07, 2018, 11:29:37 AM
Quote from: Duque de Bragança on March 07, 2018, 09:59:24 AM
Quote from: Tamas on March 07, 2018, 05:00:21 AM
https://apnews.com/6e2d360ea32d410e8b24e9ad33d40586/Hungarian-minister-says-migrants-make-Vienna-dirtier,-poorer

QuoteBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — In a story March 7 about a Hungarian official in Austria, The Associated Press erroneously translated a word in a quote from Janos Lazar, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff. The translation should have been "dirt, filth," not "hospices."

It only gets better after that.

Was he traumatised by the 10. Bezirk/District? The U6 a.k.a Balkan Express?

He was traumatised by the election loss of his personal fiefdom two weeks ago. I guess he felt he must make amends and help in the campaign.

:thumbsup: