Daniel Freund

Orbán applied for EU loans worth more than €16bn to upgrade Hungary’s military. We might as well give the money to Putin directly. Council and Commission need to reject the application!

Achtung! Das ist keine Übung! Seit einigen Tagen verbreiten Kanäle in Sozialen Medien Symbole und Ideologie einer "Volksrepublik Narwa", die eine separatistische Bewegung innerhalb Estlands suggerieren und anleiten sollen. Das Playbook ist bekannt. 🧵

#EUmembership comes with obligations The aim is not to isolate #Hungary. It is to prevent one government from hollowing out European standards from within. An article by @daniel_freund. ips-journal.eu/topics/democra…

To @PM_ViktorOrban : No rule of law? No money. It’s that simple.

@daniel_freund Oh look. Foreign politician trying to influence elections.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of #Budapest yesterday. It was a national holiday and both parties - Orbán‘s Fidesz and Magyar‘s Tisza - had organised big rallies. But their messages couldn’t have been more different. #Hungary

@EddyWax #ForSure

The canteen at the Euroepan Parliament in Strasbourg is guarded by security officers who check your badge upon entry, because the food is so good.

Viktor Orbán is trying to cast himself as the victim here. But the reality is: Ukrainians are being bombed and killed every single day. While families shelter from missiles, Orbán’s main concern seems to be whether he can keep buying oil from war criminal Vladimir Putin. That is a disgrace.  Both sides must tone down their rhetoric. But the fact that Orbán just decided to arrest Ukrainian citizens in Hungary and to confiscate Ukrainian assets shows once again that he is on the wrong side of history.

The ECJ confirms it: #Hungary’s attack on freedom of expression is illegal. The revocation of Klubradio‘s license was a political act. Viktor Orbán’s systematic suppression of independent media must stop. Time to take the gloves off @EU_Commission euractiv.com/news/hungary-b…

Viktor Orbán’s veto is undermining Europe’s security & playing into Putin’s hands. The EU has been blackmailed for too long. It’s time to suspend Hungary’s voting rights. #Article7 #Ukraine

Rubio visited two countries after his surreal speech @MunSecConf : Hungary and Slovakia. Orbán and Fico. That’s all you need to know to understand where these member states are heading. I recently visited #Slovakia. It’s a dangerous place for those speaking truth to power.

Ouch, that must hurt @EU_Commission. Advocate General at ECJ/@EUCourtPress issued this opinion today: Advocate General Tamara Ćapeta proposes that the Court of Justice annul the Commission’s decision lifting the suspension on the disbursement of funds to Hungary. The Commission may not disburse EU funds to a Member State until the required legislative reforms are in force and are effectively being applied. Furthermore, in any decision to disburse those funds the Commission must demonstrate that each condition has been satisfied – thereby protecting EU financial interests, enabling judicial review and informing not only the Member State concerned but all EU citizens.

My favourite passage in the new Dutch coalition agreement. „We are taking a hard line against countries that actively undermine Europe, such as Hungary and Slovakia, by advocating in Europe for a simplification of the Article 7 procedure, making it easier to strip countries of their voting rights. 👏Hungary will lose its right to European funds. 👏 In Europe, we are pushing for the abolition of unanimity in decision-making in the Common Foreign and Security Policy.“

. @PM_ViktorOrban is Europe’s corruption champion. For 15 years he’s managed Hungary’s decline: the powerful profit while society suffers. EU funds fuel the crisis. It‘s time for the @EU_Commission to act: no more EU taxpayer money without real reform. transparency.org/en/cpi/2025

Orbán‘s intimidation campaign ahead of the election seems to be in full swing already. We’re hearing Hungarian police is rounding up people for „mass witness examinations“. Approx. 100 ppl in a room - the „witnesses“ then have to state which party/candidate they support.

The Hololei case once again shows why the current system of self-policing within EU institutions does not work. We need independent oversight through an EU ethics body. politico.eu/article/henrik…

Orbáns wants to tell his citizens who to love and how to live. Those who refuse to listen feel the brutality of his mafia state. Now #Orbán and his allies are trying to intimidate the mayor of Budapest - for organising a #Pride march. reuters.com/world/hungaria…

Die Abstimmung im EU-Parlament zur rechtlichen Überprüfung von Mercosur sei ein „furchtbares Symbol“ gewesen, so @daniel_freund (Grüne/EFA). Der richtige Weg sei nun, ein Signal zu senden: für eine rechtliche Prüfung – aber auch für das Abkommen.

Right decision: @osce_odihr recommends the deployment of an Election Observation Mission to #Hungary for the upcoming elections. 🗳️🔍core team of analysts + secondment of 18 long-term observers + 200 short-term observers + media monitoring. odihr.osce.org/sites/default/…