Throughout 2012, my staff and I have been paying close attention to the state of media pluralism and media freedom in Hungary, and this issue was dealt with again today when I spoke with the Culture committee at the European Parliament.
I welcome changes in the Hungarian Media Legislation that have been proposed or already made by Hungary. However, these changes do not address all the outstanding substantial concerns I have. My concerns remain serious, and I expect Hungary to not only continue its dialogue with the Council of Europe but to take rapid further action. In other words, it is not enough for the government to say it is in talks with the Council of Europe.
These actions are essential for Hungarian democracy, and also to assure investors about a stable political climate and a safe investment environment in Hungary. These values and conditions are at risk if rule of law and access to information are not guaranteed. News reporting should not be censored or controlled by a government’s actions.
In particular, I want to see immediate action ensuring the real independence of the Media Council; measures to reduce the excessive concentration of powers in the hand of the Media Council and better measures to ensure the effective independent functioning of publicly-funded media. Solutions can be found in co-operation with the Council of Europe – so let’s see them.
In my view, the Media Council should also reconsider its practices for assigned radio frequencies. The best example of recent problems is several court judgements confirming that the Media Council repeatedly violated the legal requirements related to frequency assignment procedures. We are talking about the famous Klubradio issue.
When the Media Council questions the consistency of the rulings of the court it is questioning the rule of law. This is a serious issue that goes beyond just the uncertain situation of Klubradio. It also offends common sense! Let me cite an extreme example: the Media Council wanted to diminish media pluralism – by excluding all tender proposals including Klubrádió’s – because the blank back sides of the pages of the tender documents had not been signed. This is not reasonable, it is not a sufficient ground for such a drastic decision that affects both media pluralism and the stable conduct of business.
So, let me finish by saying that this lengthy and complicated legal battle should end. Regardless of what anybody thinks of its content, Klubradio provides an important forum for opposition voices in Hungary. The court has consistently rejected the actions of the Media Council which would make its functioning impossible in practice, and now it is time to move forward.
It’s time for the Media Council and the Hungarian Government to take media pluralism and freedom out of danger.
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Yet another hate attack against Hungarians by a nihilist and colonialist commissioner. Instead of preaching to others about human rights, please free colonies like Aruba or Curacao, denounce Dutch Nazi parties, denounce Dutch Anti-Islamism and discrimination. Denounce Dutch drogue laws which infect Europe with drogue-abuse.
Dear Neelie, it is enough for you to visit the red light district in Amsterdam, to understand how insolent and hypocrite you are, when you are talking about gender equality. Oh really, is this the gender equality? In Amsterdam there is a street with only Hungarian girls. What about this, Neelie? Aren’t you ashamed? Can you look at yourself in the mirror?
You criticize the commissioner on grounds that are not related to the subject. The Klubradio story is a fact, and to say the least it is an ongoing abuse of power, and just as Neely Croes said, it is a weakening of the legal system and through it the confidence of both Hungarian citizens and foreign investors alike. If a court ruling says something it is THE law, and you are not supposed to neglect it. If this simple rule cannot be understood by you or the Hung government then your thinking about democracy is very different than mine.
In reply to George.
Biased statements by an EU official have an impact on how the judgments are made. Mrs. Kroes should refrain from qualifying court rulings, as she has no mandate whatsoever to interfere with the Hungarian judicial system.
Please, if you feel yourself so informed maybe you could have the minimal decency to write her name correctly: Neelie Kroes.
I don’t give a s about your biased Hungarian-hater thoughts.
You sure do have media pluralism and freedom of expression there in the red light district of Amsterdam.
Neelie, are you sure that you are not taking Hungary for Aruba? You know, the Dutch colony Aruba.
Neelie, beter roken een paar gewrichten dan praten onzin.
J’emmerde l’iperialism neerlandaise.
J’emmerde le group Bilderberg.
Neelie, what are your cards saying?
Neelie, you seem to have an anti-Hungarian agenda. Are you obsessed by the Hungarians?
I fully agree with you, Neelie. The Nazi Government of Hungary should learn the lesson. With your help, we will prevail at the next elections.
Neelie, maybe you can talk in this style to the Suriname colonial government, but not to Hungary.
Dear mrs Kroes,
to me it is old news, moreover because in January this year I had a meeting with mr. Wim van der Kamp in the parliament building in The Hague about this topic and much more issues, what happened and was going on in Hungary.
I presented him a big file about all.
Pity enough I never heard from him anymore and never got any feedback about the files I presented.
So one year ago the EU knew already about it, nothing is/was done.
Now you come out with this blog and it is strange to me now to read it.
Best regards,
R H
Rien,
Vice President Kroes has spoken about, and also blogged about these issues since January 2011.
We are sorry if you have not had the chance to read about her comments, but they have been widely reported in Hungarian media and international media. In addition these views were delivered several times to audiences such as the European Parliament
Ryan Heath,
spokesperson to VP Kroes
A year ago, Klubradio lost its frequency in five towns.
The Media Council ordered Klubradio to cease broadcasting in Tatabánya & Esztergom three days ago.
In the last two years, only those news radio channels were able to get new frequency that were close to the ruling party economically and/or politically.
Commercial media will not be allowed to broadcast political advertisement before the next election, according to the new election law of 26 November, 2012. The election commission will be appointed for 9 years (they can block any referendums), hundreds of thousands of “votes” will be “mailed” in from Romania, and the government plans to take over the computer network of the election process as well.
By next April, the Orban dictatorship will be complete. There will not be any office that is not run by Fidesz appointees. Prosecutors, ombudsmen, 9 out of 15 judges of the Supreme Court, most appeals court judges, Media Council, Budgetary Council, Election Commission – all are handpicked by Orban and appointed for 9 or 12 years.
The overwhelming majority of the radio and television channels are either apolitical or are in the hands of an oligarchs close to Fidesz.
That is the sad situation in Hungary, a member of the European Union, a union that is supposed to be based on democratic principles.
Dear Neelie Kroes!
I hope you are fine,
I would recommend to take a minute checking out what is going on behind this story (below), even if it’s not the particular field of yours; the Klubradio issue is just one, very important problem, but there are serious problems with the cultural governance in Hungary globally – (as well as the whole reputation of the ruling government as you may know) – we are losing our voice if we loose the control over the existing cultural institutions (Mucsarnok is/was our Kunsthalle): http://www.politics.hu/20121127/leader-of-budapest-art-hall-resigns-over-government-interference/ and http://beyondeast.wordpress.com/ I know there is nothing to do with it from outside, we have to change this situ, but all of you in the free world of Europe must see what is the real dangers’ face that actually threaten us.
my best regards,
KJ
Breaking news:
Klubradio “suspended” (= finished) broadcasting in Tatabánya & Esztergom today by the order of the “Media Council” as of today, November 27, 2012.
The only opposition radio channel can reach less than 20% of the population of Hungary.
The EU issued only mild condemnations in the last two years, and watched idly how tyranny was being created in one of its member states.
Neelie, stop butting in when you have no credible information. The Hungarian “opposition” is feeding you lies, but you are obviously uninterested in any objective fact finding, since that would not mesh with your objectives of neo-capitalist colonization. Your high and mighty EU snobbery is coming to a halt real soon as this artificial edifice comes crumbling down REAL SOON (fingers crossed). Butt out, nobody gives a hoot about your b.s. concerns.
Dear Ms. Kroes,
We respect your opinion, but you also should respect the decisions of the Hungarian parliament, and the will of the majority of our country
I always wonder when this Hungarian government objects and or complains about EU bodies and yet at the same time they want yet more money from the EU from the cohesion fund. You are very right to be worried about media pluralism and freedom in Hungary. Everything is coming under control of the government and even if they were not reelected next time their policies are enshrined in the way they have ensured appointments and policies that cannot be changed other than by a super majority which is unlikely to ever happen again. Keep up your good work.
Well, some anti-fans of mine on politics.hu asked me to post my opinion, so here it goes:
Ms. Kroes!
In lack of anything substantial at all, you are simply rehashing the same old baseless, general cliches you , and the “left liberals” in general, are so well-known about and you’re simply proving your partisanship as usual.
It’s no big deal for me but you’re only doing a disservice to EU and the “European thought”.
Yours not truly,
Leto
My dear Leto, Why do you say that the criticism of Ms Croes has no substance at all? The Kulbradio story is very real and it is clearly an abuse of power.( meaning that by the very laws set by the 2/3rd majoirity the courts had decided in favour of Klubradio already twice and the executive power does not abide by its own laws) isn”t this substance? IIf a court decided in your favour, lets say in a serious financial matter ( a few Millions) and the “loser” in the court ruling would just simply laugh at you and turn around and walk awy, what would you think bout the stability of the legal system??) so it is quite a story and not an expression of hatered or bias against Hungary. The current governemt cheats even his own laws.
The popularity of the ruling Fidesz party is down to 15-19% of the population.
Why didn’t Fidesz permit a referendum on abolishing the Constitution and replacing it with a “Basic Law” that was pushed through Parliament within three weeks in 2011?
Why didn’t Fidesz allow a referendum on the new election law that deprived them from their natural rights to vote freely without passing a brand new bureaucratic hurdle?
In this new system of registration (which is not needed, since every adult in Hungary was automatically registered until now), why do we have to appear in front of a Fidesz-appointed official in person, after standing in long lines?
Orban himself gave the clear answer. He wants to restrict the rights of people who might vote against his tyrannical rule.
It is shameful that EU frequently makes noises & gives funds in supporting democracies in the third world, but has failed to preserve democracy in one of its member states.
Dear Mrs Kroes,
Let me introduce myself first. I am a Dutch citizen married to a Hungarian wife. Because I do not have any family in the Netherlands any more I only have relatives living in Hungary. My sweet wife is a fantastic designer, worked also for Malev. After we married we had to decide to have our tiny design company in the Netherlands. The main reason is that if one does not support Fidesz openly there is no chance to get any assignments within Hungary.
We are very grateful for your efforts concerning the severe situation in Hungary. The current government is making it impossible to have opposing voices heard. The rule of law, the freedom of speech are severely in danger. The current government is making it impossible for the opposition parties to fight back. There is a character assassination campaign going on against Mr. Gordon Bajnai paid for by the Hungarian taxpayers money.
Recently Mr.Lukashenko:
“Hungary used to be a socialist country. We used to be good friends with them. We used to have very close relations. After they became fed up with ‘democracy’ and market economy… they got sober.” apparently also figured it out.
In my opinion the honest democratic people, (there are very many of them) deserve a better future.
But it is almost impossible to change anything at all any more from within Hungary.
That is why I have to ask you to keep up the pressure against this regime, to face all the tricks, double talk and delaying tactics, and make it very clear that there is absolutely no place for a flawed democracy turning to be a dictatorship within the EU.
My best wishes and again THANKS for your efforts.
Hungary’s media authority remains open to dialogue with EU’s Kroes. The European Commission’s opinion about Hungarian media issues is important, the country’s media authority (NMHH) said in a statement on Tuesday in connection with this blog entry. The NMHH’s statement added, that whereas Neelie Kroes has formulated an opinion about the work of the Media Council several times she has not once found it important to hear the point of view of the Hungarian authority. The NMHH statement said the Media Council had offered help and factual information to the EC about day-to-day practices involved in Hungarian media reforms, yet Kroes had not once taken up the offer, instead forming opinions on a number of occasions. This is no doubt why the fact that the Media Council has continuously and predictably ensured the undisturbed airing of Klubradio for 600 days, and has provided a discount on the Debrecen and Kecskemet yearly frequency fees of a significant sum of more than 12.5 million forints has passed her notice. The NMHH believes that the lack of information is the reason for the commissioner is unaware of the fact that radio is currently broadcasting its programmes on two provincial frequencies illegally. The statement said that the NMHH remained open to the commissioner’s opinion and stood ready to engage in personal consultations, too. The Media Council’s assessment on the Klubradio case is available in English at http://hunmedialaw.org/dokumentum/96/The_Klubradio_case.pdf
Yesterday, 29 November, the Media Authority made another announcement about Klubradio.
This was refuted by Klubradio today.
http://www.klubradio.hu/cikk.php?id=16&cid=149884
Please have it translated. Among others Klubradio complains that
1. while the Catholic, Maria, and the current favorite Lanchid radios got exemption from paying the frequency fee, Klubradio has to pay a lot of money even for the two-month extensions.
2. Media Council has not obeyed the legally binding court rulings that granted Klubradio the permanent frequency in Budapest.
The previous announcement of Mr Arato, owner of Klubradio dated November 29.
(This one is in English)
Press Release on the Media Council’s attacks on the freedom of the press
The Media Council’s series of decisions violating the principle of the rule of law is a threat to the freedom of the press
Klubrádió’s press release concerning the latest letter issued by the Media Council’s press office claiming that the authorities are doing whatever they can to support the radio’s uninterrupted operation
We did not ask for the Media Council’s sympathy about the tender concerning the Esztergom and Tatabánya coverage area in which no winner had been declared. The only reason why this tender was unsuccessful is that the authority had issued an unprofessional call for tenders, as confirmed by the Budapest High Court of Appeal. It was the Media Council’s negligence but it is Klubrádió that pays the price. According to the judgment of the Court, the Media Council’s call for proposals had been so irrational and unprofessional that it was impossible to submit a proposal that met the applicable formal requirements. As a result, it is the Media Council’s duty to mitigate the damage caused and issue a temporary license for broadcasting in the two towns.
According to the Media Council’s press release, the Council will do whatever they can to make uninterrupted operation possible for Klubrádió, and they intend to prove this by issuing another 60-day extension (the twelfth of such extensions). However, this statement contradicts the facts as judgment after judgment confirms that that the authority’s procedures have been illegal and the Council refuses to comply with the orders of the court. The Council does not abide by the law, it is a law unto itself.
And the statement that the “Media Council continuously offers cooperation to Klubrádió” is utterly false. The truth is that it does not show any willingness to cooperate. They refused to answer our proposals for solutions and did not react to our requests for negotiation.
With the suspension of the operation of our Esztergom and Tatabánya broadcasting stations, we have made it possible for the Media Council to take immediate steps. The Media Council should allow us to take over the Budapest frequency permanently and should issue a new tender for the two country frequencies that meets the applicable professional and moral requirements. Stop causing more harm!
Neelie, spare me with your colonialist nonsense.
As a Hungarian citizen, as far as I am concerned, you are not welcome to Hungary, please never visit my country.
This EU is starting to become more and more like the Soviet Union.
Ignorant, non elected people get appointed to fancy named positions (commissioner on digital agenda, LOL).
Neelie, I think a 10 year old child knows more about internet than you.
I think your are abusing of your position to help your liberal comrades which have been voted out of the Hungarian parliament.
Maybe you want them back, but let the Hungarians decide.
You seem to ignore the basic principles of democracy and willing to force the hands of the Hungarian voters.
In my opinion, the title of the position held by Mrs. Kroes should be changed from commissioner for digital agenda to “commissioner for anti-Hungarian agenda”.
Waiting for Neelie Kroes blogging on BBC and Great Britain to ignore Europe and European affairs at all.
A press release by Klubrádió, November 30, 2012
To the Media Council:
Lately you have been entertaining the public with lies and misrepresentations of facts on a daily basis concerning the legal status of the Klubrádió’s frequencies. What is more, you have an enormous staff and you spend huge amounts of public money to suppress a radio station not to your liking.. In this press release, we would like to react to your latest announcement dated 29 November.
You claim that “the Media Council has been continuously and reliably providing Klubrádió the opportunity to operate in the last two years.” In fact, the Media Council allows us to use our frequency by issuing temporary licenses for two-month periods at a time. We only learned on Wednesday that we would be allowed to broadcast next Tuesday. And this has been going on for two years although so far six court judgments have confirmed that we have the right to use a frequency permanently. Your inexplicable behavior causes immense losses to Klubrádió and to its hundreds of thousands of listeners, to the freedom of press and to Hungary.
You also claim that “the Media Council has reduced the annual fee to HUF 3 million from HUF 11 million for the Kecskemét frequency and to HUF 4.1 million from HUF 8.5 million for the Debrecen frequency of Klubrádió.” You are misleading the public again as you have not reduced the HUF 25 million fee of Klubrádió’s Budapest frequency in spite of the fact that you did lower the fees for all the commercial stations in the country. You were cynical when you claim that Klubrádió had been left out of the fee reduction because of the temporary status of its frequency rights. Also, you keep the rate of reduction confidential in all the other cases, including that of Class FM, which could be HUF 100 million or even more. Another of your pets, Lánchíd Rádió, is given frequency after frequency in the country free of charge. Katolikus Rádió, Mária Rádió and Európa Rádió don’t have to pay fees at all. To keep repeating that you assist Klubrádió is a cynical proposition. Klubrádió and its partners are in a difficult financial situation primarily because of the Media Council’s actions.
“The Media Council still considers the owner of Klubrádió a partner,” you allege. No, you have never treated Klubrádió as a partner. You offended the public when you wanted to waste Klubrádió’s frequency through a call for tenders issued for stations with a music profile; when you declared Autórádió Kft. which submitted an atrocious offer, the winner; when you did not allow Klubrádió to use the frequency it had won at a tender; when you ignore final and nonappealable judicial decisions and act as if you were above the law. It is clear that the Media Council wants to silence Klubrádió by any means.
The Media Council brings international condemnation to the current Hungarian government by making it clear that there is something very wrong with the state of the free media in Hungary.