The ’state of danger’ introduced as a result of the coronavirus epidemic will end on May 31, but the expansion will likely grant several extraordinary legal measures to the Orbán government.Continue reading
In an emergency the government needs to have the ability to act fast and effectively, that is why Hungary’s constitution needs to be amended, István Simicskó, group leader of the co-ruling Christian Democrats, has said referring to a bill before parliament.
In an interview published in daily Magyar Nemzet on Tuesday, Simicskó said a fast-changing world requires state agencies, services, and their coordination to respond to a new situation as fast as possible. “There may be no days, weeks or months to consider before making a decision,” he said. “The government must be given the necessary room for manoeuvre to instruct state agencies and law-enforcement bodies and effectively ensure security in the country,” he insisted, and mentioned, for example, the war in Ukraine and hundreds of thousands of refugees taking shelter in Hungary.
Concerning the European Union’s sanctions against Russia, Simicskó said before taking such measures decision makers should “carefully consider whom they would in fact harm”. Banning Russian gas and oil imports would not help Ukraine, it could not force Russia to stop its military operations, while Europe will have to buy energy at significantly higher prices, he said. “To put it simply, the EU will punish itself rather than Russia through this ill-advised embargo policy,” he insisted.
Featured photo by Tamás Kovács/MTI