There’s no shortage of global crises these days: Between a global pandemic, Hong Kong,
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the list is long. And the world relies on the EU to offer
a united position in defense of human rights. But lately, the EU keeps failing. Why? It’s
got a lot to do with one EU member state in particular: Hungary.
Example One: Last month, Israeli-Palestinian tensions boiled over into one of the deadliest
episodes of the conflict in years .
The EU wanted to make a statement in support of a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian
Islamist group Hamas. But that statement was never made. Why? Hungary put in a veto.
Example Two: Mass pro-democracy protests swept through Hong Kong in 2019.
After China enacted a new security law that tightened its control over Hong Kong, the
EU wanted to make a statement expressing its concern over the erosion of human rights.
That statement was never made. Hungary put in a veto.
“I do think that Hungary unfortunately betrays the core democratic values of the European
Union and there are many obvious cases, where I think none of the democratic countries should
dare to veto decisions. And I think when it comes to the issues of Hong Kong for example,
it is clearly a case like that.
This is where the voting process takes place: The Council of the European Union, in Brussels.
Depending on the issue, decisions are made by simple majority, qualified majority, or
by a unanimous vote by all 27 EU member states.
EU foreign policy decisions require unanimity to pass. But if EU members cannot even agree
on a statement to defend human rights, what does it signal to the rest of the world?
Hungary rejects the EU’s criticism of its recent vetoes, saying: “According to treaties
of the Union, full agreement is needed on important issues such as foreign policy. Hungary,
therefore acted in accordance with the basic treaty when it vetoed. To accuse Hungary of
being non-European because it exercised its right set forth in the treaty, is in fact
deeply non-European.”
“Of course Hungary has the right to veto, but the problem is two-fold. First of all,
Hungary usually vetoes decisions that aim to express the value commitment of the European
Union, especially when it comes to foreign policy. Systematically vetoing such decisions
is undermining the values of the European Union, undermining the already pretty weak
foreign policy leverage of the European Union. So this is one problem. The other problem
is that Hungary has gradually become the most pro-Russian and most pro-Chinese member state
within the European Union. ”
Hungary has been defying consensus and using its veto card in the EU partly because it
wants to increase its economic ties with China. And to do that, it needs to align itself politically
with China.
Hungary is both an EU and NATO member. But since Orban took office in 2010, he’s been
openly pursuing an “Eastern Opening strategy” in the hopes of attracting Chinese investment.
The coronavirus pandemic has moved this strategy forward. At the beginning of the pandemic
Prime Minister Viktor Orban himself inspected tons of supplies that had arrived at the Budapest
airport from China — ventilators, protective gear and more.
In the latest move toward China, Hungary’s foreign minister announced the country would
begin to produce China’s Sinopharm in 2022. Hungary is also the only country in the EU
to inoculate its citizens with the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine.
Not to mention the diplomatic ties: The welcome ceremonies for the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang
in Hungary and various visits by Orban with President Xi Jinping in China.
The implications of Hungary turning to China are concerning for the EU, especially for
NATO security. A detailed report by Hungarian investigative outlet “Direkt36” documented
how the country’s “Eastern Opening” policy creates a friendly environment for
Chinese intelligence. In short: making Budapest a spy hub.
There is an increasing number of Chinese students flowing into the country and China is known
for using its citizens, forcing them to feed information to the Chinese intelligence. and
of course China is mostly not interested in what’s happening in Hungary, they are not
interested in Hungarian high tech because there is none, .
One of the most controversial Chinese projects in Hungary is yet to be built. By 2024 Shanghai’s
Fudan University wants to open its very first European campus in Budapest at this site.
Hungary plans to finance the mega-project reportedly through a 1.5 billion-euro loan
from a Chinese bank.
Construction will be carried out using Chinese materials and labor. So who benefits?
“Hungary I think has vetoed the most in favour of China, so China is the number one
beneficiary of Hungary’s disruptive power inside the EU but we don’t actually see
Chinese foreign direct investment flowing in, pouring in to the country. Some say that
in order to gain the trust of the Chinese, you have to develop a relationship on the
long run, so it means that you need to put a lot of effort and years and years to convince
them that you are a trusted partner.”
Not all Hungarians are happy with the government’s close ties with China – and they’re taking
action. A couple thousand protesters gathered at Budapest’s Kossuth Square recently in
to stop the planned construction of Fudan University and to demand affordable housing
for Hungarian students instead.
At the planned construction site of the campus, Budapest’s liberal mayor, Karacsony, has
put up new street signs. He’s a key critic of Orban. The signs now read “Free Hong
Kong Road” or “Dalai Lama Road” – an attempt to underline that possible political
and economic gain should never outweigh speaking up against human rights violations. So what
is the purpose of the vetoes exercised by Orban’s government?
“That Hungary only vetoes decisions that are rather symbolic therefore they do not
really block anything, but at the same time this way he (Orban) can send gestures towards
Beijing, towards Moscow and towards other illiberal and authoritarian states that you
have an ally within the European Union. Hungary obviously serves as an outlier and wants to
be an outlier and I think it clearly undermines the image of the European Union, the leverage
of the European Union EU and also the European Union’s role as a kind of democratic model.”
For the EU to live up to its credentials as a defender of human rights, it needs to find
a way to bring Hungary back into the fold.