BUDAPEST, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Hungary's government dismissed Western attacks on its new media law on Monday, rejecting the foreign criticism as ill-informed or even absurd and promising that it remained committed to press freedom.
Budapest, which has just assumed the European Union’s rotating presidency for the next six months, said it welcomed an EU review of its Media Act which it said was fully in line with the bloc’s rules.
The centre-right government made a point-by-point rebuttal of what it called "unfounded, at times outright absurd accusations" on the same day as two leading left-wing Hungarian dailies said the law meant an end to press freedom.
Under the law, which took effect on Jan. 1, a new media authority dominated by appointees of the ruling Fidesz party will oversee all public news production. The body can also levy big fines on private media, which are required to be "balanced".
Budapest, which is already at odds with EU heavyweight Germany over windfall business taxes, has drawn sharp criticism from Berlin over the media law.
It rejected attacks by other EU governments and Western media. "A common trait of the opinions expressed by the media is that they apparently lack in-depth knowledge of the Act’s text," the Public Administration and Justice Ministry said in a statement.
"Instead of formulating specific criticisms, they are a collection of unfounded, at times outright absurd accusations. The Hungarian government remains committed to freedom of the press, and in no way wishes to stifle the opposition’s views."
"We are confident that the regulation complies with the relevant European Union standards in all respects," it added.
Deputy Prime Minister Tibor Navracsics told the daily Magyar Hirlap on Monday that the "hysteria" surrounding the media law was excessive, and time would show how the law works.
"If there are really problems in practice, we will not hesitate to modify the law, which is in principle a good piece of work," Navracsics said.
He seemed to contradict Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who said last month that Hungary had no intention whatsoever of changing the law.
The law has been criticised widely in leading western European and U.S. newspapers, in left-wing Hungarian media and by the governments of Germany, Britain and Luxembourg.
On Monday, the left-wing Nepszabadsag carried the statement "The freedom of the press in Hungary comes to an end" on its front page in 23 EU languages.
Nepszava, a fervent critic of the government’s policies, said that freedom of the press was a fundamental right, which should be defended, echoing recent comments by Germany’s deputy foreign minister.
Hungarian newspapers are split along ideological lines, with a right-wing daily accusing liberal media at home and abroad of failing to back up their "abusive commentaries" on the media law with proper arguments.
