In a post published on X (formerly Twitter), Viktor Orbán responded to the words of Věra Jourová, who reported on her social media page that a proposal to protect media freedom in the European Union had been drafted.
On Tuesday, the European Parliament overwhelmingly approved legislation on media freedom in Europe, which was subsequently presented by Věra Jourová, the European Commissioner for Values and Transparency.
The famously anti-Hungarian vice president of the European Commission told Politico that the new measures, which are primarily intended to ensure press freedom and the expression of as many opinions as possible, will certainly be a thorn in the side of the Hungarian government.
According to Reporters Without Borders’ latest World Press Freedom Index, the government has effectively gained control over three-quarters of the Hungarian press, she reminded.
Many thought this was mission impossible.
But we have it: a proposal to protect media freedom in the European Union.
After today’s vote, let’s get a final deal to protect journalists and our democracies.#MediaFreedomAct pic.twitter.com/tJM6GclUZT
— Věra Jourová (@VeraJourova) October 3, 2023
It is not easy to bring order to a system where almost everyone is dependent on a single ruling party and where there is no honest public media, only state media, the commissioner told Politico. However, the new rules could eventually bring order to transparency and independence, with serious investigations into the tangled media nexus and the laws that govern it.
“If the Hungarian government does not go along with this, it will be costly,” Jourová stressed, referring to the penalties for non-compliance.
Orbán and the ruling parties, on the other hand, expressed concern about the bill. The Hungarian Prime Minister has already commented on the issue on X from Pizarra in southern Spain, where he is attending an informal meeting of the Council of Europe.
“Another anti-freedom proposal from Brussels: they want total control over the media. We, in Central Europe have seen this in the past. It was called Cominform and Reichspressekammer. Never again,” the Prime Minister wrote, referring to the institutions of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.
Another anti-freedom proposal from Brussels: establishing total control over the media. We Central Europeans have seen such things in the past. They called it the Kominform and the Reichspressekammer. Never again! #MediaFreedomAct https://t.co/XbjUBiZcBt
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) October 4, 2023
The post also seems to have met with Elon Musk’s approval. In a comment, the billionaire replied, “Absolutely.”
American businessman Musk’s reaction seems to have surprised Jourová, who first responded with a laughing emoji. She then added that she would wait for a message from the businessman if he wanted to discuss the bill with her in a more serious context.
Daniel Freund, a German member of the delegation from the Green Party in the European Parliament was also surprised by Musk’s response to the Hungarian Prime Minister. In a post, the politician wrote that he liked Twitter and had no plans to leave it, “But what the hell is going on?!”.
Via: Twitter/X, Magyar Nemzet, Ungarn Heute; Featured photo: Wikipedia.
