Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

0:00
0:00

EU against democracy: Hungary's mail-in poll on Russia sanctions dismissed by Brussels

The European Commission has dismissed the results of a mail-in poll in Hungary that is being used by Victor Orbán's goverment to claim that most Hungarians are against EU sanctions on Russia -- despite Hungary voting for the sanctions to be put in place.
According to the results of the month-long postal consultation, which were released over the weekend, 97% of those who took part are against the sanctions.

"All the sanctions decisions in the EU are made by the Member States in unanimity. They decide about what sanctions regime we have when we have it, to what extent." European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano told Euronews.

Stano, meanwhile, said that the Commission had noted the "very low participation of the consulted citizens". 

Less than 1.4 million of Hungary's 8.2 million registered voters took part.

The EU's 27 member states have so far imposed nine packages of sanctions against Russia for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. They have targeted Moscow's ability to export fossil fuels, wood, and steel products, and to import luxury and high-tech products. Access to global financial systems for Russian banks has also been restricted.

Hundreds of Russian individuals and entities including Russian President Vladimir Putin, its foreign policy tsar Sergey Lavrov, other top government and military officials, propagandists and oligarchs have meanwhile been slapped with travel bans and had their assets frozen.

Hungary's popular Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has repeatedly decried the sanctions as having a larger impact on European economies than their intended target despite successfully using his veto power to carve out exceptions.

Orbán has secured continued imports of Russian oil by pipeline and blocked the addition of several of Putin's allies to the sanctions list, most notably Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. He also stuck a new supply deal with Russian gas giant Gazprom despite a vow from the EU to find alternative suppliers. 

"Member states are constantly reviewing the sanctions, seeing if we need to respond to further escalation by Russia in this illegal aggression against Ukraine and blatant violation of UN charter and international law," said Peter Stano.

"Sanctions are one of the measures we are using to react to this, because the attack against Ukraine is the attack against us, against our values. And when there will be a decision about (the) next package or amendment of existing packages, this will be a decision for 27 member states to make in unanimity," he added.

The questionnaire people were asked to fill in had previously been described as misleading with sanctions always described as "Brussels sanctions" or emanating from "Brussels leaders" despite the fact that they had been approved by all 27 EU countries, including Hungary.

Hungarian citizens were also asked to give their opinion on possible sanctions on natural gas supplies and nuclear fuel which the questionnaire argued had already led to higher energy prices.

Balázs Orbán, political director for Viktor Orbán, nonetheless said that the "results speak for themselves".

"Brussels must review its sanctions policy and find a new strategy. We need peace, and not new sanctions," he added.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×