Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-01-19-Speech-3-051-000"
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"en.20110119.5.3-051-000"2
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"Mr President, I believe that we are currently in a serious situation. These are serious times.
You have rightly pointed out that we have a lot of problems to solve. We are in the midst of a severe financial crisis and we have difficulties with the budget. Another pressing issue for the European Union involves rising food prices, in particular, in our neighbouring regions, but also within the European Union itself in the foreseeable future. This is a problem which we need to address quickly. We also need to focus on employment in the Member States. There are certainly many items in your programme which we can work on together. In that respect, you are a genuine representative of the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats).
When Mr Sarkozy, the French President, was President-in-Office of the Council, he also gave a left-leaning speech here in Parliament and then proceeded to implement right-wing policies once he was at home. I told him that he spoke like Karl Marx in exile. Everything that you have said sounds good. If you can now act in accordance with your words, that will be good enough.
Therefore, I believe that we must, and indeed will, assess your achievements on the basis of the programme that you have presented here. You have referred, Mr Orbán, to the fact that you have a large majority at home. That is a good thing. We have had to deal with a number of governments, including some from your party, who have done nothing but sit here and call home to find out if they were still in office. We cannot afford that sort of thing now. From this point of view, your two-thirds majority is excellent, because it gives you plenty of time. However, it also puts you under an obligation to use your strong position to make Hungary and also the European Union stronger.
I would like to ask you a question. What is the purpose of your gift of a carpet which has been laid in the Council building in Brussels and which shows Hungary with its 1848 borders? What sort of a message is this in the context of European gesture politics? As you seem intent on using symbols from the 19th century, I would like to tell you what the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, said to the German people in the 19th century. He said: ‘A great victory is a great danger. Human nature finds it harder to endure a victory than a defeat. Indeed, it almost seems to be easier to achieve a victory than to endure it in such a way that it does not turn into a serious defeat’.
I believe that you should take into consideration that a large majority provides a great deal of support, but also imposes a major obligation. Therefore, I am talking to you in your capacity as President-in-Office of the Council of the European Union and not in your role as prime minister. The President-in-Office of the Council must do everything possible to dispel any doubts about the Presidency’s readiness to defend fundamental European democratic values. It would be best for you not to wait for the Commission’s investigation. Mr Barroso, I would like to point out to you that following a ban on trucks imposed by one Austrian province, the Commission suffered a severe identity crisis and then took immediate measures against Austria. However, when one of the fundamental principles of European democracy is put at risk, you sit and do nothing.
You must make sure that we receive the results of the investigation soon, otherwise this debate will place a heavy burden on the Hungarian Presidency. We all want the Presidency to be a success and we do not want to see its progress blocked. You, Mr Orbán, can do something yourself to help the situation. Withdraw the law and introduce a new and better one. Hungary needs a balanced media law.
Firstly, Mr Orbán, you will be familiar to many Europeans as an opponent of the Communist regime and a supporter of freedom for your country. We respect that.
I was pleased that we both had the opportunity yesterday afternoon to discuss another man whom Hungarians can be proud of and that is the former prime minister and foreign minister of your country who opened the border between Hungary and Austria, together with Alois Mock, and paved the way for German unity. This man is the leader of my party, Gyula Horn. Let us pay tribute to another great Hungarian.
Mr Orbán, in your capacity as President-in-Office of the Council, you acknowledged something in your answer to Mr Barroso’s question. You said that if the Hungarian media law is not compatible with European standards, you will change it. That is a good thing. However, in saying this, you have also acknowledged that this is not just an internal political debate in Hungary, but also a European debate. It is clear that this law concerns the fundamental rules and values of the European Union, which is a community based on the rule of law.
I would like to look at two elements of the media law. It will establish a media authority which is intended to supervise the balance of reporting in the media. In addition, the law will introduce an obligation on the media to take a balanced approach. You have a two-thirds majority in parliament and it is a legitimate majority. Using this two-thirds majority, you have set up a media authority which consists exclusively of members of your party, from the government or from the group of people who have close links with it. This means that a media authority with members from only one side of the political spectrum will be responsible for monitoring balanced reporting. This is not acceptable within a European community based on the rule of law.
In a democracy, Mr Orbán, the media monitor those who are in power. The result of this law is that those in power will monitor the media. This is also unacceptable in a democracy and that is why the people of Europe are so concerned about this law."@en1
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