Migration a potential cause of rule of law ordeal

In recent years, holding member states accountable based on their compliance to the rule of law – despite the lack of an exact definition for the concept – became a recurring theme in the European Union. Hungary and Poland have been accused on multiple occasions, but interfering with member states’ internal affairs has not always been a standard procedure in the EU.

Fielding a question from Hungarian MEP Krisztina Morvai in 2009, former European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso stressed that the EC had “no power to intervene in the internal matters of member states.”

“I really ask you not to put me questions that you can better treat at your national parliament, than here,” Mr Barrosso said.

Manfred Weber, the current group leader of the European People’s Party, was of a similar view in 2013 when Brussels adopted a report on Hungary compiled by Portuguese Green MEP Rui Tavares.

“The Tavares Report adopted today by the leftist parties goes far beyond the competence of the European Parliament. The EP does not have the right to interfere in issues such as defining marriage and references to Christianity in the Constitution. These belong solely to national competence. The dozens of legislative recommendations to the Hungarian Parliament and the setting up of a monitoring procedure to assess their implementation have no legal basis and are totally unacceptable. The European Parliament must not turn itself into a Big Brother,” said Mr Weber, who was vice-chairman of the European People’s Party group in 2013.

All this begs the rigthful question of what has changed? At present, efforts are underway to create institutions that could force almost anything on member states through a simple majority or two-thirds majority vote.

The Open Society European Policy Institute, which functions as the Brussels headquarters of George Soros’s Open Society Foundations (OSF), also issued a report in 2013 on how to monitor the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights in the EU. The report’s first page says “the Commission could enforce its recommendations through a fundamental rights litigation strategy, which prioritises infringement proceedings for violations of fundamental rights-friendly EU legislation”. The report also recommends that “country-monitoring could be reintroduced, drawing on the data, analysis and recommendations issued by the Council of Europe, United Nations and EU Agency for Fundamental Rights”.

The stock market speculator managed to push his agenda forward after the mass migration wave hit Europe in 2015 and pro-migration Soros-ally Jean-Claude Juncker took office as European Commission president in 2014.

Data from Lobbyfacts.eu reveals that NGOs linked to George Soros began more active around European Union institutions in 2014.

According to the website, the Open Society European Policy Institute had only 7 lobbyists in 2014 who had accreditation in the European Parliament, compared to 14 in March 2016. The data shows that since 2014, they have participated in 57 meetings at the European Commission. The organisation’s budget has also increased, with between €2.2 million and €2.5 million spent on lobbying in 2016, according to Lobbyfacts.eu.

In 2015, George Soros presented his plan designed to manage migration in six points. In this so-called Soros Plan, he explained that the EU had to settle 1 million asylum-seekers a year, sharing the burden fairly between the member states. He later reduced this number somewhat. Mr Juncker also argued in favour of migration and talked about the need to make legal immigration a viable option. The idea to set up a mandatory quota scheme is also linked to Juncker.

Hungary was the first to reject the Soros Plan and immigration. The country has faced constant attacks since then, just like Poland, which that also rejected mass illegal migration. The Article 7 proceedings against the two countries are based on reports that build on the proposals of NGOs sponsored by the George Soros, who also made a personal appeal to demand that Hungary and Poland are punished.

In September, Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga drew attention to the fact that the Hungarian chapter of the European Commission’s 2020 Rule of Law Report refers to 12 NGOs, adding that out of these, 11 have received financial support in recent years from the George Soros-run Open Society Foundations.

Reports on Poland were also prepared by Soros-affiliated organisations.

The European Stability Initiative (ESI), founded by the Austrian Gerald Knaus – aka Soros’s right-hand man – has launched a number of agressive attacks against Poland. A study by ESI published last March looked at Poland’s judicial reforms.

It revealed that the establishment of a disciplinary chamber violates the independence of the Supreme Court. In the document, a lobby organisation financed through Soros’s foundation calls on the European Commission to launch infringement proceedings against Poland. The 16-page document was co-authored by the European Stability Initiative’s partner organisation, the Polish Batory Foundation, founded by George Soros himself.

In recent months Soros has appealed for action against Poland and Hungary. In October, for instance, he urged the EU to “make Hungary a test case” and in his opinion piece published last week, he called on Europe to take action against both Hungary and Poland. On the occasion of his 90th birthday in August, Soros told a paper during an interview that Hungary and Poland were the EU’s internal enemies.