Welcome
Dialogue between Hungary and the OSCE is a welcome step
Werner Hoyer, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, issued the following statement in Berlin today (30 December) on the new media legislation in Hungary:
“The announcement by Hungarian Deputy State Secretary Pröhle that the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media will be invited soon for a dialogue on the new Hungarian media legislation is a positive signal. It shows that the Hungarian Foreign Ministry in particular is keen to limit the damage. As a point of reference when it comes to compliance with democratic and rule-of-law standards, the OSCE has vast experience and its authority is widely accepted. That applies in particular to the countries of the former Eastern Bloc, such as Hungary, for which the OSCE, the successor organization to the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe, has to this day retained its reputation as a beacon in the fight for fundamental rights and civil liberties. The criticism voiced by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, which is based on a comprehensive analysis, must therefore be taken just as seriously as that of the European Union. The fact that Hungary is prepared to address the OSCE’s criticism indicates that we have not yet heard the last word on the new media legislation.”