So many contradictions from Orban in Hungary:
* Hates the EU but Hungary has been the biggest recipient of EU structural fund flows over the period since it joined the EU in 2004 and before. And let’s not forget here that the extraordinary economic development/transformation of Hungary over the past 20 years has been significantly the result of those structural fund flows. And Orban is still in the line for these flows getting EUR2-3bn a year, even with a weight of these flows still stalled over rule of law issues.
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* Hates EU over-regulation/the nanny state but has been running price controls on various consumer products.
* Loves Trump and China, but given the on-going hegemonic battle between the U.S. and China and Europe having to choose between the two, where will Orban drop?
* Trump blames Europe for freeloading on the U.S. defense backstop but Hungary is one of the biggest offenders, only just getting to 2% of GDP defense spend and a lack of credible plans to meet NATO’s target of 3.5% and 5% for Trump. Is Hungary serious about European defense or is it going from free riding on US defense to free riding on European partners like Germany, France, the U.K. and Ukraine first defense?
* The irony here really to hear Hungarian ministers talk about winning from big new European defense orders - from Germany et al - but Hungary itself is not prepared to step up and write big cheques for European defense.
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* Orban is big friends with other West European far right parties and leaders in Europe - like Wilders, Le Pen et al - but these same leaders wants to stop/reduce the EU structural fund flows to the likes of Hungary.
* Orban is a big friend of Putin but Soviet troops brutally put down the ’56 uprising in Hungary, extinguishing Hungarian freedom for another 30-odd years. That was colonial exploitation but Orban is now trying to block Ukraine, suffering the same colonial invasion by Moscow. And Ukraine is acting as the first line of defense of Europe, and Hungary therein against future Russian aggression.
How do all these contradictions square?
Reprinted from the author’s tashecon blog. See the original here.
The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.
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