Hungary’s parliament has overwhelmingly approved Finland’s entry into the NATO military alliance. But this does not apply to Sweden. According to Hungarians, Sweden is spreading lies about Hungary’s troubled rule of law and lack of democratic values. This is very irritating for Sweden, says Hungary correspondent Stefan Bos.
The vote marks the end of months of training by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party. Finland will get the green light, Sweden certainly not. “Hungary has said that Sweden must give way first,” says Bos. “According to Hungarians, Sweden is spreading lies about Hungary’s troubled rule of law and lack of democratic values. And that is why the leader of the faction of the ruling party Fidesz has already said that his party will decide later on the Sweden case.’
“The Swedes are still checking for the moment”
Billions
For now, the Swedes are lagging behind, says Bos. “And this much to the annoyance of the Swedish government. But they still expect to be able to unite in July, when NATO meets with a summit in Vilnius.’ It’s not just alleged lies that Sweden spreads about the ups and downs of Hungary’s constitutional state, according to Bos Orbán it wants to put pressure on the European Union with this hoax. Hungary still does not have access to funds from the Corona Recovery Fund because, according to the European Commission, it still does not sufficiently comply with EU rules on respect for the rule of law.
Concessions
‘An important reason is, of course, that Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán simply wants to put pressure on the European Union to make concessions. He still receives billions of euros, he hopes. But I also think he is simply following Turkey’s example. The Turkish president also said that for the moment he will only agree with Finland.’
Bos adds that the Turkish president and the Hungarian prime minister not only “get along very well”, but that Orbán also takes into account how Russia feels about the whole matter. Orbán is not only on good terms with his Turkish counterpart Erdogan, but also gets along well with Russian President Putin.
Despite Hungarian pressure on Brussels, according to Bos, it does not appear that the EU will give in quickly and transfer money to Budapest. “There is still a long way to go. Time is running out because Hungary has an inflation rate of over 25%.’ And according to Bos, ordinary Hungarian is really starting to notice that inflation.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
