Helmut Kohl was a major historic figure, the Chancellor who united Germany and set the foundations of the European Union as we know it: with the Schengen Area, freedom of movement and joint currency, the euro. However, Kohl had one flaw: he did not choose well his protégés. EURACTIV Croatia reports.

After the unification of Germany, a smart physicist with a doctorate in quantum chemistry caught his eye, the daughter of a pastor, whom he introduced to the closest circle and gave a ministerial position. It was Angela Merkel, whom he called “my girl”. Germans now call her “Mutti” – some out of respect and some ironically.

Merkel has left a mark on German and European politics, but proved fatal for the political career of her mentor – when the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) financing scandal broke out in 2000, she pulled the rug from under Kohl’s feet and took over the CDU.

Soon after introducing Merkel to his circle, Kohl noticed a young man who stirred up the masses in Hungary with his rhetoric. Hungarian-born US billionaire George Soros had already provided him with a scholarship, while Kohl saw him as the mould for future Christian democratic leaders in Eastern Europe

But Viktor Mihály Orbán utterly disappointed him. He refused to adopt the euro, and the majority of EPP MEPs turned their backs on him last week over his authoritarian rule in Hungary. However, Kohl once again made an excellent choice of a person who will define European history, only not in the direction he had hoped.

When Orbán said several months ago that he is the successor of Kohl’s politics, the CDU was appalled – they told him Kohl had connected and strengthened Europe, while Orbán was dividing and weakening it.

He drew his political strength mostly from Hungary, where he was prime minister between 1998 and 2002, but did not fare well. When he returned to power in 2010, he decided not to let go of it without a fight, so regulations were changed and the Constitution amended to bring about an electoral system where he could secure a majority in parliament with relatively low support, granted him control of the media, judiciary and the central bank.

He created a network of people who “owe him” because he provided them with profitable positions or lucrative jobs with the state. Members of his family play key roles in the system, as is the case with every authoritarian system, this is the case in Erdoğan’s Turkey and Putin’s Russia, while Donald Trump would like to see the same in the US.

Orbán is unlikely to become influential on the EU level because Hungary is not that strong.

Salvini and Orbán launch anti-immigration manifesto ahead of EU elections

Hungary’s illiberal Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Italy’s hardline Interior Minister Matteo Salvini launched Tuesday (28 August) an anti-migration manifesto aiming at next year’s European parliament elections, targeting a common enemy.

Profiting from migrant crisis

But he knew how to take advantage of the situation: the refugee crisis in 2015 was just what he needed to stir up Hungarians and become head of the Visegrád Group – four countries that refused to take in migrants and opposed Merkel’s policies – which made him a hero of the growing populist-nationalist movement in the EU.

Aware of the opportunity, he waited for spring this year to win elections in Hungary for the third time and start a new political project: to become the leader, perhaps unofficial, perhaps a “grey eminence”, of a new Europe after the European elections next May, the anti-migrant and illiberal Europe.

This summer, he formulated his plans in three stages, culminating in the seven-minute speech he held in Strasbourg, defending his government from reports that openly warn of a threat of violation of democratic freedoms and rule of law in Orbán’s Hungary.

The first stage was implemented on 16 June, when he spoke at a conference held in honour of Helmut Kohl. “Hungary is aware of its strength, influence and mission. For us, Hungary comes first.” If it sounds familiar, it’s because Trump repeated it so many times.

He then started interpreting the vision of Hungary in Europe. “Hungary’s ambition is to live in a strong Central Europe comprised of countries that cooperate tightly.” He listed Poland as an ally and added that another objective is to entice Western Balkan countries to join the EU, “especially Serbia.” Orbán had been very helpful in Croatia’s EU accession in 2013.

Then he defined modern Hungary: “We are the commanders of a border fortress and we know our duty.” The migrant crisis of 2015 is no longer there, realistically, but the fence on the border with Serbia still is.

The ‘commander of the fortress’ noted: “Can there be a compromise on the migrant debate? No, and there is no need for it.” But, it is clear that people protected by the “fortress” have to pay for it – drawing on EU funds cannot be made dependent on adherence to European values.

The speech climaxed with the sentence “When it comes to EP elections in 2019, it would be very easy, for instance, to create a new group of parties from Central Europe or a pan-European anti-migrant group.” Orbán’s Fidesz is still part of the EPP, where it encounters criticism, but it is clear to all that his 11 MEPs (Austrian ÖVP has five) will be important.

EPP unsure about retaining or expelling Orbán’s party

The European Parliament’s vote to censure Hungary presents the assembly’s dominant centre-right bloc with a dilemma over whether to retain its populist Hungarian allies or expel them months before elections.

Finding new allies

In the meantime, Matteo Salvini took power in Italy in spring. The head of the xenophobic Lega, he is promoting anti-migrant policies and is looking at a large number of MEPs, comparable to the number of MEPs the new head of Democratic Party, Matteo Renzi, brought to socialists in 2014.

With that in mind, Orbán had ideas for the entire EPP: “We have to tackle the difficult task of renewing the EPP and helping it return to Christian democratic roots.”

He addressed the issue on 28 July in Băile Tuşnad, Romania, the location of a summer student camp where he likes to express his political views. That is where he expanded on his idea of a strong Central Europe: “Besides economic strength, Central Europe is a region that has a specific culture. It is different from Western Europe.”

That may mean that Central Europe could go it alone, if the West does not accept these specific characteristics, under Orbán’s leadership. Polish ruling party Law and Justice (PiS) head Jarosław Kaczyński does not have political ambition outside Poland, and others are too weak.

In order for Orbán’s Central Europe to take what he says is its rightful position in the EU, he defined five basic principles: a) defend its Christian culture and reject multiculturalism; b) defend the traditional family model; c) defend strategic sectors of the economy and markets of special importance; d) defend borders and not take in migrants; and e) insist on ‘one nation one vote’ principle when it comes to important issues.

Orbán warned that current Europe is corrupt and lacking direction. This is why it is necessary to establish a new political bloc that will gather all Christian-oriented parties –  Christian democracy must rise as the alternative to liberal democracy.

“This means we have to preserve the way of life that results from Christian civilisation. Our duty is not to defend religious norms, but the form that arises from them. This includes human dignity, family and nation because Christianity is not trying to achieve universality by abolishing the nation, but by preserving it,” Orbán said.

After this explanation was leaked to the public, it was clear that a split may be looming between the EPP and Orbán. But even then, EPP head in Parliament, Manfred Weber, asked Orbán to be conciliatory and modest before MEPs (one of the markings of a good Christian), to avoid the majority voting in favour of activating Article 7 against Hungary.

Orbán did not agree – he already has a plan B. Salvini and Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, the PiS and perhaps the ANO, the party of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) headed by Janez Janša, possibly part of dissenters from the CSU in Bavaria (CSU), Marine Le Pen and her National Rally – all in all some 150 seats or more.

Next year may see Orbán and Fidesz outside the EPP, or in a new coalition, but without those from the group who voted against him. Because breaking up the EPP is the simplest way for the new right in Europe to come to power. That is Orbán’s plan.

Source: https://www.euractiv.com/section/future-eu/news/orbans-manifesto-for-a-new-illiberal-europe/

The post Orban’s manifesto for a new illiberal Europe first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Israel is actively wooing populists in the EU with a view to dilute the bloc’s position on the Palestinian issue.

he Middle East European Common Policy, since its formation in early 1970s, is seriously under threat. The first to be hit is the likely Europe position on Palestine and other major Arab issues. The cohesion of the current European Union (EU) has already begun to show serious signs of cracks — for the first time since its membership expansion in late 1990.

In fact, the entire EU Common Policy and unity seems to be under question since some member states are in process of splitting up from the EU. UK was the first to go down this route after the result of a referendum in 2016 on the issue. 52 per cent of voters opted out of the EU during the term of former prime minister, David Cameron. There are many other reasons for the likely threat to the EU structural foreign policy, at the top of which is the rising power of authoritarian democrats and the relatively fast decline of liberal democracy in a number of important European countries.

The Visegrad Group of four Central European states of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia is a reflection of changing attitudes. The group, also known as the V-4, was founded shortly after the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991 and they all joined the EU in 2004. It was established as a cultural and political alliance with the view of advancing military, cultural, economic and energy cooperation with one another before they fully joined the EU.

V-4 carries the name of the Hungarian castle town of Visegrad on the river Danube. Visegrad was chosen as a location for 1991 summit (before Czechoslovakia was split). Visegrad was also the location of an earlier historic medieval Congress in 1335 between Kings of Bohemia (as Czech was known then), Hungary and Poland.

Netanyahu summit

However, it is highly rumoured that prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, will host a joint summit with the V-4 leaders in occupied Jerusalem in the second part of July, even though Israel is not a V-4 member. Nevertheless, in mid-July, Netanyahu is hosting his close friend Hungarian prime minister, Victor Orban, for his state visit to Israel. Netanyahu government has been trying to exploit the internal differences within the EU in recent years on immigration in an attempt to change the way the Middle East policy, particularly its Palestinian section, is shaped.

An earlier attempt to do just that was revealed in some of the liberal press in Israel reporting an incident during which a microphone was inadvertently was left open, Netanyahu was clearly heard assailing the EU in mid-July 2017 in a closed meeting with V-4 prime ministers held in Budapest. The Israeli prime minister’s words were heard by many journalists before they were cut off. He said: “The EU is the only international organisation which predicates its relation with Israel — which provides it with technology — on political considerations.”

He went on revealing very interesting views of other countries relations with Israel. He added: “We have special relations with China and they don’t care about political issues. [India’s Prime Minister Narendra] Modi told me he has to look after the interests of India, and Russia doesn’t set political conditions and Africa doesn’t either. Only the European Union does — it’s crazy. It’s contrary to European interests.” Netanyahu was the guest of honour of the V-4 states known to be the flag-bearers of ultra-nationalism within the EU. It is unprecedented to see the V-4 warming up to Israel despite the dark history of some their member states with their own Jewish population.

Netanyahu’s design is to push Israel’s policy of creating partnership with these countries on world stage to help him achieve his target in weakening the consensus among EU member states regarding various Middle East issues, particularly on the Palestinian issue. In fact, it seems Netanyahu was clearly on a mission when he told his V-4 counterparts: “I propose that you transmit a message to your counterparts in Europe: Don’t undermine the only country in the region that looks after Europe’s interests. Stop attacking Israel, Europe undermines its own security when it undermines Israel, due to a crazy attempt to impose political conditions.”

Orban of Hungry was the first to agree with Netanyahu’s disdain of the EU before the latter continued: “Europe needs to decide whether it wants to live and prosper, or to disappear.”

Netanyahu’s way of thinking of Europe’s future is identical to that of the right-wing world leader, namely the US President, Donald Trump. The latter has openly called the EU as “obsolete” and his views of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s liberal democracy is no longer a secret. The German chancellor is rapidly losing to the likes of Orban, Trump and Netanyahu not only in Europe but also in the Middle East.

Mustapha Karkouti is a columnist and former president of the Foreign Press Association, London. Twitter: @mustaphatache.

Source: https://gulfnews.com/opinion/thinkers/divided-europe-is-bad-news-for-middle-east-1.2249350

The post Divided Europe is bad news for Middle East first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.