Orbán defends media law

Hungarian prime minister hits back at critics of controversial new law.

Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s prime minister, has hit back at France, Germany and other critics of his country’s controversial media law.

The French and German governments had been “unnecessary and too hasty” in their criticisms of the law and flouted diplomatic conventions, he said, speaking to foreign journalists at the Hungarian parliament in Budapest. “No one single state or nation has the right to criticise…I would like to ask the French government to return to the level of reality.”

“Governments when they deal with one another, they have to use a different traffic code.”

Hungary’s media law, which came into effect on 1 January, gives a new media authority wide-ranging powers over print, broadcast and internet media, and has been criticised for its potential to undermine press freedom.

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Orbán insisted that the new law contained no provisions that could not be found in other European countries. “Show me one single paragraph in the media act that you cannot find in the law of another European country.”

“There is no specific Hungarian rule in this law. We have assembled a media from different segments of other European laws.”

He argued that any attempt by the European Commission to re-write the law would be discriminatory. He could not imagine a situation where the Commission would tell Hungary to change its law while leaving similar provisions in laws of France, Germany and Denmark intact, he said. “The most important principle of the European Union is anti-discrimination.”

The prime minister also defended his policy against charges of economic nationalism, following taxes levied on foreign banks. The new taxes were not aimed at foreigners, but at service industries, he said. Foreign companies in the car industry were untouched because he did not want to tax manufacturers: “If I wanted to go only for the foreigners I would have given the biggest slap to the foreigners there.”

The prime minister conceded that the controversy had clouded the start of Hungary’s presidency. “I agree this is a bad start. Who would want a start like this?” But he added: “I will protect our laws. I have clear reasons why I consider them good.”