‘Brexit should be a lesson!’ Furious Hungary promises EU WAR over new Brussels crackdown
HUNGARY today defiantly vowed to “fight” the European Union after it was slapped with fresh infringement proceedings over Viktor Orban’s crackdown on charities and NGOs.
By NICK GUTTERIDGE, BRUSSELS CORRESPONDENT
Express.co.uk
Thu, Oct 5, 2017
Budapest reacted furiously to news that Brussels is stepping up its case against new rules targeting foreign-funded organisations which eurocrats say contravene European law.
A government spokesman fumed “if we have to fight it, we’re going to go for it” and warned the EU that Brexit “should be a lesson” for what happens if it meddles too far in nations’ sovereignty.
Hungary, which is led by the firebrand Mr Orban, is currently involved in a number of disputes with Brussels alongside its Visegrad neighbours Poland and the Czech Republic.
Brussels is already pursuing infringement proceedings against Budapest over its refusal to take in migrants as part of the bloc’s mandatory refugee relocation scheme.
Hungarian lawyers had launched a legal appeal against the programme, which was controversially decided by a majority vote in the EU Council, but lost their case at the ECJ last month.
Aside from that Mr Orban is also involved in a bitter tussle with the EU over a crackdown on NGOs that get their funding from overseas which will make it harder for them to operate in Hungary.
The firebrand PM claims that the new law is required to negate the influence of the Hungarian born, but US based, financier George Soros who he accused to trying to undermine the state.
Budapest has run a fierce publicity campaign against Mr Soros – a frequent visitor of Brussels boss Jean-Claude Juncker – which has been heavily criticised for its anti-semitic tone and imagery.
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