Hungary is increasingly playing the Russian card. Friday May 17, Viktor Orban’s government refused to approve a joint European Union text, calling on Georgia to withdraw its law on “foreign influence” copied from Russia, and which provoked massive demonstrations in Tbilisi. This is not the first time that Budapest has sabotaged joint EU declarations by refusing to associate itself with a text that could displease Moscow.
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With our correspondent in Budapest, Florence La Bruyère
A close advisor to Viktor Orban even declared that Budapest wanted “ encourage the introduction of similar laws in the European Union “. This advisor seems to forget that Hungary had anticipated the Georgia and had already passed, several years ago, a law treating NGOs and human rights associations as “foreign agents.
It was in 2017 that Hungary passed a law copied from Russian legislation. NGOs receiving donations from abroad of more than €23,000 per year were obliged to register with a court. They also had to indicate on all their documents that they were financed from abroad, and had to publish the names of their donors.
In 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union invalidated this law, forcing the Orban government to repeal it. But the damage was done. Some associations have lost donors who were afraid of being intimidated by those in power. In addition, the government also imposed a 25% tax on these associations. Consequence, the foundation of the American philanthropist George Soros preferred to leave Hungary.
It is surprising that Viktor Orban’s government encourages its European partners to imitate Georgia, when this type of law has already been deemed illegal by European justice. It is a real provocation of the Hungarian authorities which are increasingly displaying a position close to the Kremlin.
Also listenGeorgia: law on “foreign influence” adopted, despite protests