Brenner lehnt Orden aus Ungarn ab

Gerlingen – Der Gerlinger Bürgermeister Georg Brenner sollte anlässlich des Bundesschwabenballs am 20. April in Gerlingen mit dem ungarischen Verdienstorden ausgezeichnet werden. Doch Brenner lehnt die Auszeichnung mit Verweis auf die Politik Ungarns ab. Diese habe in den vergangenen Wochen eine Entwicklung genommen, die er nicht mittragen könne.

Dies hat er unter anderem dem ungarischen Generalkonsul Tamás Mydlo mitgeteilt. Der hat bisher ebenso wenig reagiert wie der Bürgermeister aus Gerlingens ungarischer Partnerstadt Tata. Brenner hatte seinen Amtskollegen József Michl nahezu gleichlautend informiert. In dem Brief heißt es, die ungarische Politik habe sich „weiter von der Europäischen Union und den demokratischen Grundrechten entfernt, als je zuvor.“ Brenner verweist auf die Strafmaßnahmen, die die EU in Erwägung gezogen hat, nicht nur weil Haushalts- und Währungsrichtlinien missachtet, sondern weil auch die Unabhängigkeit der Justiz und die Pressefreiheit angegriffen wurden. Hinzu komme, „dass innenpolitisch unter anderem durch die neue Verfassung ein nationalstaatlicher Schwerpunkt gesetzt“ worden sei. Nationalismus habe aber „ in unserem heutigen Europa keinen Platz mehr, sichern wir doch unseren Frieden und unsere wirtschaftliche Stärke durch Anerkennung, Toleranz, gegenseitige Wertschätzung und gemeinsame Werte“.

Stuttgarter Zeitung

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Atelier populaire Iasi-ban a Tranzit RO szervezésében

tranzit.ro FB

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Don’t Let Hungary Go The Way Of Nazi Germany: Demand EU Action Today!

Blink and you’ve missed it: Hungary is no longer a democracy.

President János Áder has just signed away the rights of all that was left of Hungary’s opposition parties after years of gutting legislative powers, crippling the free press, and eliminating all mention of a “republic” in the country’s constitution.

If this trend doesn’t sound familiar, here’s something to jog your memory: along with criminalization of the homeless and attacks on women and the LGBT community, Hungary’s seen ahorrific spike in state-sanctioned antisemitism and racism, including the decoration of three men known for their connection to the pro-Nazi Arrow Cross Party.

We’ve seen the steps Áder’s taken before. We know these signs. And while the European Union continues to stay silent, the situation for women, ethnic minorities and religious groups in Hungary becomes deadlier by the second.

Please, join us in calling on the member states to act on Article VII of the EU Treaty, which demands they intervene to prevent any state from being robbed of its democratic freedoms. We still have time to stop Áder’s men from stripping Hungary’s people of more rights and protections — but we cannot afford to stay silent for long!

PETITION TO EU MEMBER STATES: We cannot afford to sit by while another European country represses state protections, targets minorities, and spreads antisemitism while eliminating free speech. Don’t let Hungary go the way of Nazi Germany — act on Article VII to ensure Hungarians’ rights and freedoms!

watchdog

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Europe fights back: Viktor Orbán may be in real trouble this time

When on April 9 I wrote about the verbal duel between Tibor Navracsics, Hungarian minister in charge of administration and justice, and Viviane Reding, EU vice-president and commissioner responsible for justice, fundamental rights, and citizenship, I should have known that this would not be the end of the story. Members of the current Hungarian government don’t have much sense about when to stop. Just as they doggedly pursued their domestic opponents and used all sorts of unacceptable methods to destroy them, they are employing exactly the same methods on the international scene: personal insults, insinuations, blackmail, lies, half-truths, and the practice of “divide and conquer.” The Fidesz government’s strategy worked well at home. Just think of the trade unions and the student associations. So why not try it with the European Commission? Perhaps setting José Manuel Barroso against his vice president, Vivien Reding, both members of the European People’s Party, would bear fruit as well.

First, Navracsics questioned the integrity and impartiality of Reding. Then he said that she was not qualified. A day later Magyar Nemzet came out with a new theory. Next year there will be a new European parliamentary election and perhaps a new president of the European Commission. Reding has a chance to replace Barroso, but in order to be elected she will need the help of the European liberals and socialists. That’s why she is so tough on Hungary. It’s a career move, according to Magyar Nemzet.

Hungarian Spectrum

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Kulturzeit am Pranger Ungarischer Sender kritisiert Bericht

Am 28. März 2013 berichten wir in Kulturzeit über Meinungsfreiheit in Ungarn, unter anderem darüber, dass die ZDF-Kindernachrichtensendung “logo!” in einem Grafik-Erklärstück indirekt die ungarische Regierung kritisiert hat, und dass die Kulturszene des Landes unter Beschuss steht. Das kommt in Ungarn gar nicht gut an. Die Reaktion: Kulturzeit steht am Pranger. Überdimensional aufgeblasen, gleich einem Fahndungsaufruf, flackerten die Namen von Autor, Kameramann und Cutter über den privaten ungarischen Fernsehnachrichtensender “Hir”. Unser Film über die drangsalierte Kulturszene in Budapest wurde wild zusammengeschnitten – und dann mit Abscheu kommentiert. “Wieder einmal hat ein Sender über Ungarn berichtet”, heißt es in dem Bericht bei “Hir”. “In dem Bericht von 3sat wird der Wechsel an der Spitze unseres Nationaltheaters kritisiert. Laut dem Vorsitzenden der Fidesz-Partei handelt es sich um Propaganda der Opposition, die Ungarn schlechtmachen will.”

3sat

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Romania calls for answers in case of suspected police brutality in Hungary

ensions are running high between Bucharest and Budapest following the suspicious death of a Romanian man at a police station in Hungary.

The 47-year old was detained on suspicion of stealing a chainsaw. It is alleged that he was beaten for over two hours before he died.

The Romanian Foreign Ministry has asked for those responsible to be punished. The Hungarian Prosecution office has promised swift action and confirmed that the dual offences of interrogation with enforcement and an assault resulting in death could carry a sentence of 2-12 years imprisonment.

Witnesses who saw the deceased said he was unrecognisable following the beating.

The two Hungarian policemen who are implicated in the crime have been removed from their posts and have appeared in court. Two of their superiors have also been suspended.

euronews.com

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European Commission chastises Hungary for high debt levels, special taxes

The high level of indebtedness in both the private and public sectors and special taxes have been named as weak points of the Hungarian economy in a European Commission report issued on Wednesday.

Hungary’s current account balance has shown continuous improvement, the report added.

Despite a drop in levels of debt in the private and public sectors, the current level is still high, the report said.

Macroeconomic imbalance continues to exist in Hungary and this requires monitoring and resolute political steps, it added.

The report states that Hungary’s current account balance has shown continuous improvement and stayed positive in the past three years, although as a reason it cited a sudden drop of domestic demand on the back of worsened competitiveness in exports. The external imbalance has also been reduced with net investment to GDP at -103, compared to -117 in 2009, far from critical levels.

politics.hu

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