Joventut Socialista de Catalunya

Ever since the current government led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and supported in Parliament by a two-thirds majority consisting of members of Fidesz (Hungarian Civic Union) and the Christian Democratic People's Party, the Hungarian member parties of the European People's Party, took office, it has been clear that Hungarian democracy is severely endangered. The State administration has been placed under Orbán's personal control. Press freedom has been alarmingly curbed, culminating in a media law placing most media under direct government control: the country's last independent radio station has since seen its license revoked. The main opposition party, to which ECOSY's member organisation Societas (Young Left) is associated, has been declared guilty by association of all "crimes of communism" until 1989. The right to abortion has been seriously endangered, the right of all couples to marriage denied, homelessness and poverty criminalised. The Commission for Fundamental Rights has been abolished, the judiciary transformed into a sphere personally subordinate to the Prime Minister. A new, heavily majoritarian electoral system using tailor-made constituencies was installed in order to make it next to impossible for the governing party to be voted out of office. In addition, the government has fostered a nationalist climate all too reminiscent of times past and given a free hand to dangerous right-wing extremist groups and parties.

ECOSY - Young European Socialists deplores the deafening silence on all these issues coming from the European People's Party, the European party to which the Hungarian governing parties belong, as well as ECOSY's partner organisations in the European Youth Forum, the Youth of the European People's Party (YEPP), the Democrat Youth Community of Europe (DEMYC), and European Democrat Students (EDS), all of which count Fidelitas, Fidesz's youth organisation, among their membership. In particular, we regret the failure of YEPP President Csaba Dömötör, a Fidelitas member and former Fidesz employee, to condemn the situation in Hungary.

Beyond political divisions and disagreements, the values of freedom and democracy are respected by democratic conservatives and democratic socialists alike. ECOSY refuses to believe that democratic conservative organisations such as YEPP, DEMYC and EDS condone these antidemocratic practices and policies of the Hungarian government: we call upon YEPP, DEMYC and EDS to condemn them, even if such condemnation is long overdue. Furthermore, we call upon YEPP, DEMYC and EDS to undertake the necessary steps to call upon their Hungarian member organisation, Fidelitas, to clarify its position regarding these government practices, which we can only assume to be as outraged as ours.

ECOSY - Young European Socialists stands in full solidarity with the forces committed to the restoration of full democracy in Hungary, including its member organisation Societas and its mother party, the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP).

On behalf of ECOSY - Young European Socialists:

Kaisa Penny Thomas Maes

Parts of this text were adapted from a letter sent by Thierry Marchal-Beck, President of ECOSY member organisation MJS France, to Benjamin Lancar, President of YEPP member organisation Jeunes Populaires, and published on-line. ECOSY thanks Thierry Marchal-Beck for his kind permission to re-use parts of his letter.