August 28, 2014 12:04 am

Hungarys journey back

into the past
From Mr Vidar Helgesen.

Sir, Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl once said that it was in Hungary that the
first stone was removed from the Berlin Wall.

This month marks 25 years since Hungary opened its borders to the west and set the
reunification of Europe in motion. Today, Hungarys government is turning its back on
the west. In a recent speech, prime minister Viktor Orbn said he wants to build a
spiritual Iron Dome against foreign influence, break with the dogmas and ideologies
accepted in western Europe and instead establish an illiberal state.
Liberal democratic states, he claimed, cannot remain globally competitive. The very
week that the EU was discussing sanctions against Russia for its violations of Ukrainian
sovereignty, Mr Orbn held up Russia as a success story.

Hungarys journey towards becoming an illiberal state is already well under way. Since
coming to power in 2010, the Hungarian government has replaced heads of the
judiciary, and theatre and museum directors, tightened control over the media and
changed the countrys election rules. This year, the Hungarian government has launched
a crackdown on civil society. In the speech mentioned above, Mr Orbn attacked the
Norwegian government for funding Hungarian NGOs, claiming we are financing
political activists to further our own interests.

Police action has since been taken against the NGO fund supported by Norway. Similar
funds supported by Norway exist in 15 other EU member states and are valued by NGOs
and governments alike. Norways support to Hungary is part of the 1.8bn contribution
made by the European Economic Area and European Free Trade Association countries
to social and economic cohesion in Europe. Hungary is now violating the terms of the
agreement for these funds, most of which go to the Hungarian government.

In response, we have suspended all payments to the Hungarian government, while
maintaining the NGO fund. While not a member of the EU, Norway is closely integrated
with the EU and deeply committed to the values that underpin European integration.
These values are now being challenged by the Hungarian government, a member state
and a recipient of massive EU funding. Given this situation, I am puzzled and
disappointed that a response from the EU institutions has been largely lacking. For
decades, the EU has been the strongest impetus for democratic change and respect for
human rights in Europe.

As we approach the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the EU should
demonstrate in no uncertain terms that it will not accept the re-establishment of an
illiberal state within its borders.

Vidar Helgesen, Minister for Europe, Norway