Media law could be changed ‘if necessary’

Hungary’s prime minister says law could be amended if it is shown to be bad for press freedom.

Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s prime minister, has signalled that he could amend his country’s controversial media law if it is shown to be bad for press freedom.

“We will follow closely the implementation of this law and if we see that any of the criticisms have come true, we are ready to remedy these,” he told journalists today at the Hungarian parliament in Budapest.

However, the centre-right prime minister strongly implied that he saw no need to change the law, insisting that it went no further than similar laws in other European countries. “The scope of the Hungarian media authority is not larger than the scope of media authorities in any other European country,” Orbán said. “If there is no common sense and reasonable argument, no changes.”

The media law, which came into force on 1 January, has been criticised by some EU foreign ministers and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the body that monitors freedom and democracy.

The European Commission is set to launch a formal investigation into whether the media law is consistent with press freedom as soon as it receives official notice of the law, said José Manuel Barroso, the Commission president. Standing next to Orbán at the parliament in Budapest, Barroso said he would not pre-judge the outcome of the Commission’s report into what he described as “very tough, very hard, legal issues”. He would not confirm when the report will be published.

Orbán acknowledged that the controversy had clouded the start of his country’s six-month presidency of the Council of Ministers, but he promised: “We will do everything in our power not to allow this to hamper the presidency.”

Although both Orbán and Barroso were less combative than in previous statements, differences in emphasis were evident. Orbán framed the debate as an issue of respect for his country’s young and hard-fought democracy. “Hungarian democracy should receive the same respect as any other democracy in Europe,” he said, adding: “I am sure that the legal opinion formed [by the Commission] will be one that does not discriminate against Hungary.”

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Barroso, however, stressed the possibility that the law might be changed. “I really welcome the fact the prime minister is ready to consider changing the law if some problems are justified.”

“This is a democratic country and I think it is important we have no doubts about it,” he added.

Barroso confirmed that the Commission is also investigating whether a Hungarian tax on banks breaks EU rules, following complaints of discrimination from foreign companies.