Hungary marked the 20th anniversary of joining the EU on May 1 but populist strongman Viktor Orban's government opted not to hold an official commemoration. Instead the ruling Fidesz party used the occasion to criticise Brussels for being 'pro-war' instead of promoting peace in Europe, in line with the campaign slogan of the radical rightwing party ahead of the June European and local government elections.
The ruling party issued a short Facebook post on the anniversary. At the time of joining the bloc, Hungary and the EU had two shared goals that there should be peace and prosperity in Europe, Tamas Menczer, the communications director of ruling Fidesz said. 'But today we're missing two of these: peace and prosperity,' he said. 'That's why we say that change is needed in Brussels.' He accused the EU of blackmailing Hungary for its pro-peace stance.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said in her video address on Wednesday, 'Twenty years ago today, our family was finally united in a common home. Hungary has always been at the heart of Europe. Twenty years ago you chose to reclaim your rightful place at the centre of our continent. You chose Europe,' she added.
However, on the streets of Budapest and across the country the ruling party's billboard potrays the EC President as the boss of the opposition with opposition leaders pictured as waiters. The caption on the billboard reads 'the humble servants of Brussels', accusing the Orban regime's opponents of serving the interest of the EU instead of Hungary.
Hungary’s Socialist-led government had celebrated the historic occasion with fireworks on May 1, 2004, which ended 10 years of negotiations since the country officially submitted its request to join in 1994. Former Socialist prime minister Peter Medgyessy thanked opposition parties, including Fidesz for working for the cause, a common goal shared by the political elite from the far-left to the far-right after the 1989 transition. 'Let us all rejoice and celebrate together and let Hungary have a successful century,' he said at the time.
Two decades later, an EU flag adorned the historic neo-Renaissance Parliament building, but not by official arrangement. Instead, it was raised by a member of the liberal Momentum party, who hung a 20-metre star-shaped flag from one of the windows. House Speaker Laszlo Kover had removed the EU flag from the building years ago.
The campaign stunt by the opposition party, fighting for relevance after the emergence of former Fidesz insider Peter Magyar as the new opposition darling, demonstrates the country’s failed convergence and isolation under Orban’s rein.
Financial website Portfolio.hu, citing Eurostat data, reported that household consumption in Hungary was the second-lowest in the EU, only slightly higher than Bulgaria, standing at 68% of the EU average in 2023, within a margin of error. Other data by Polish bank PKO shows Hungary’s real GDP grew 44% between 2004 and 2022, 17pp above the EU average, but far behind Romania and Slovakia, where real GDP grew at 80% and 78% respectively.
On May 1 the left-wing opposition held a joint celebration of International Labour Day and the 20th anniversary of Hungary's EU accession in City Park.
'Although Hungary is there, in Europe, the country has been shamed, Hungarians have the lowest wages and pensions in Europe, their country has the worst level of healthcare services and the level of public education has deteriorated most here while the family circles of Viktor Orban have stolen the unprecedented amount of money pouring onto the country,' Klara Dobrev, the leader of the opposition Democratic Coalition, Socialist and Parbeszed parties for the EP elections said.
Mayor Budapest Gergely Karacsony, of the Parbeszed party, also emphasised the lost opportunity as Hungary was one of the biggest beneficiaries of EU funds in the last decade. 'A parasite state will never use EU funds in a smart way. Those monies are missing from the education and healthcare sectors, from the city of Budapest and the smallest Hungarian villages,' he added.
Hungary’s fast-ascending opposition leader, Peter Magyar, who was recently polled at 25% among decided voters, said since 2004 Hungary received €50bn in funding, twice the amount Germany received under the Marshall Plan. 'Where is that money?' he asked his crowd.
Magyar said that according to his knowledge the wealth of Istvan Tiborcz, Orban’s son-in-law, is closer to HUF500bn (€1.2bn) compared to the HUF70bn reported in the financial press.
Under the reign of Ferenc Gyurcsany (former prime minister, and president of DK) and Orban, the country has become the second-poorest in the EU and the most corrupt, he said.
Magyar promised zero tolerance against corruption and said that Hungary would join the European Public Prosecutor's Office if his new Tisza party is voted into government.
