Hungary on Wednesday rejected any suggestion that it face limits on its responsibilities in the EU presidency after criticism of its media law and crisis taxes. In the bloc's rotating presidency for the next six months, Hungary issued a Foreign Ministry statement saying it was waiting for the outcome of a European Commission investigation into the media law.
"The Government...is steadfastly committed to carrying out the programme of the EU rotating presidency," the statement said. "At the same time (it) firmly rejects any suggestions that raise doubts about the Hungarian EU presidency's ability to act and suggestions of limiting the responsibilities of the presidency."
EU heavyweights Germany, Britain and most recently France have criticised the new legislation which gives an authority led by appointees of the ruling centre-right Fidesz party oversight over all public news production and strong powers over private media. "What of course I would like to have from the Hungarian authorities is a clarification of the situation, and if possible a, let's say, lifting of the doubts that exist," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in Brussels on Wednesday.
The legislation prompted Luxembourg's foreign minister last month to openly question whether Hungary was worthy of leading the EU. German Deputy Foreign Minister Werner Hoyer was cited by the DPA news agency late on Tuesday as saying that Germany did not support Hungary conducting negotiations about media issues with the eastern partnership countries of the EU.
The controversy over the media law has cast a shadow over Hungary's EU presidency. Media watchdogs say the law is arbitrary and ill-defined and many leading European newspapers have protested against it. Hungary's government has said the law was in line with rules applied in other EU member states, and Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi told reporters on Wednesday that he asked people "to read the law, be fair and objective". "Let's wait for the comments and suggestions of the European Commission and then decide."
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