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The Prime Minister’s Political Director, Balázs Orbán, fought for Hungarian sovereignty in front of the Venice Commission on March 15, reports Magyar Nemzet.
“March 15 is a special day for Hungarians. On this day, we commemorate the Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1848-1849, celebrating the heroism of our ancestors as they fought for their independence and sovereignty against the Habsburgs and the Russians.” This is what Balázs Orbán, the Prime Minister’s Political Director, told the Venice Commission.
This year, however, the Ides of March is also a sad day: it is the day on which the Venice Commission plans to adopt an opinion that will limit Hungarian sovereignty.
This is particularly worrying at a time when the defense of sovereignty is becoming increasingly topical not only in Hungary but also worldwide,” Orbán added in his speech.
In recent years, Hungary’s sovereignty has come under increasing attack. Nothing proves this better than the national security investigation that found foreign funding of the 2022 parliamentary election campaign. Even the prime ministerial candidate of the united opposition has admitted that they received millions of dollars from the United States during the campaign, he underlined.
“Hungarian law prohibits parties from accepting foreign funding. The united opposition circumvented this rule by using funds from abroad through NGOs and business companies engaged in political activities. This is unacceptable,” emphasized Orbán. “We cannot allow foreign organizations and individuals to try to assert their own interests in Hungary in defiance of Hungarian interests and rules.
The Hungarian Parliament adopted an act in 2023, establishing the Sovereignty Protection Office, in order to effectively counter attempts to interfere against Hungary’s sovereignty.
This office, like the Ombudsman, investigates individual cases and its main tool is publicity: it publishes the results of its investigations on its website, containing the facts, findings, and conclusions of its inquiries. The Office is neither a national security service nor an investigative authority, and the report resulting from its investigations has no legal consequences or sanctions for the person investigated.
In his speech, Orbán pointed out that “through the transparent operation of the Sovereignty Protection Office, our goal is to ensure the protection of Hungarian sovereignty and to strengthen the Hungarian people’s trust in democracy. We believe that voters have the right to know the data on foreign support in the context of elections.”
Wearing a national cockade in Venice. The plenary session of the Venice Commission addressing #Hungary and the Hungarian Sovereignty Protection Office, is scheduled for March 15. This date holds special significance for us, as we commemorate the Revolution of 1848, when brave… pic.twitter.com/1frPYfYLHF
— Balázs Orbán (@BalazsOrban_HU) March 15, 2024
This is why the current draft opinion of the Venice Commission is unacceptable to the Hungarian government,
he added. On the one hand, the draft opinion does not recognize sovereignty as a European value and a legitimate objective. Although the need to protect sovereignty is not enshrined in international conventions, it is clearly the basis of statehood. This opinion of the Venice Commission should therefore be of particular concern to Europe as a whole. On the other hand, the Commission is proposing to abolish the entire institution of the established Sovereignty Protection Office, going against not only its own standards, but also the possibility of any constructive dialogue.
Orbán concluded with the thought that: “For us Hungarians, sovereignty has always been a key issue. It is only in this spirit that we can have constructive discussions with each other.”
Via Magyar Nemzet; Featured image via Facebook/Orbán Balázs