Hungary takes over EU presidency under cloud over media law - Summary

Thu, 06 Jan 2011

Budapest- Belgian premier Yves Leterme handed over the European Union flag in Budapest's neo-gothic parliament building on Thursday, marking the start of a six-month Hungarian presidency that even Prime Minister Viktor Orban admits began under a cloud.

Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the 27-member bloc amid a storm of international condemnation of strict new media laws that critics say could curtail press freedom and criticism of heavy windfall taxes.

Leterme praised Hungary's key historical roll in fighting for freedom from communist rule, and said he believed Hungary's presidency would help the EU on the path to economic growth.

"Hungary's presidency cannot produce wonders, but we can rub the lamp so the spirit we call Europe's renewal can reappear," Orban said.

That is not to say Orban - whose center-right alliance beat a discredited Socialist Party in April to secure an unprecedented two-thirds majority in parliament - was about to back down over domestic media policy.

Earlier in the day, the Hungarian premier told a select group of foreign journalists that his government is ready to amend its controversial new media law if the European Union finds it to run counter to EU rules.

But only if other member states with similar clauses in their media legislation make the same changes.

Orban reiterated the government's position that the new law contains no elements that do not exist in the media laws of one or more of the other 26 EU member states.

"In this law there is not one single element that cannot be discovered in one of the EU countries," Orban said, calling criticism from fellow EU members "overhasty."

"I cannot imagine a situation where the European Union says the passage of the media act should be amended while the French, German or Danish law remains unchanged, although they have the same passage."

France and Germany were among several EU countries that joined the international media and non-governmental organizations in condemning a new Act on media regulation passed by government lawmakers on December 21.

Criticism of the new media regulations has centered around the fact that the law gives sweeping powers to a centralized media authority set up since Orban's conservative government took office in May.

A new Media Council comprising solely government nominees whose mandate lasts for nine years is charged with interpreting rules on "balanced" reporting and respecting "human dignity".

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has signaled that he intends to discuss the media laws in talks with Orban on Friday, and has called for clarification on the issue from Hungary.

Critics say the legislation, which affects in broadcast, print and on line media and came into force on January 1, is vaguely worded and leaves much room for interpretation.

Those concerns echoed in the European Parliament, where the leader of the social democrat group, Martin Schulz, called for the assembly's civil liberties committee to formally investigate the media law.

"The outcome could lead the parliament to use (EU) treaty powers to open a sanctions procedure," a statement from Schulz's group warned.

In a separate move, the liberal group (ALDE) is set to hold a hearing on the Hungarian measures on Tuesday.

A source told the German Press Agency dpa that EU commissioner Neelie Kroes - who wrote to the Hungarian government last month asking for explanations - has been invited, as well as Miklos Haraszti, a Hungarian writer and former media freedom representative for Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Hungary's assumption of the EU presidency has been marked by a storm of international condemnation of the media legislation, along with criticism of "crisis taxes" that impose heavy levies on telecommunications, energy and large retail firms - most, though not all, of which are foreign-owned.

Orban said the disputes had cast a shadow over the start of the Hungarian presidency. "I agree: This is a bad start," he said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/361050,media-law-summary.html.