Ambassador-US Is Concerned About 'Sovereignty Defence Bill'

Wires reporting comments from the US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman, stating that the "United States is concerned about Hungary's flagged 'Sovereignty Defence Bill'." The planned legislation has not been outlined in detail, but reports claim could be submitted to the National Assembly as soon as 21 Nov. Reuters reports PM Viktor Orban's chief of staff Gergely Gulyas stating on 16 Nov that, "This office or authority, we shall see what it is called, could probe all sorts of activities ... that would violate the sovereignty of the country," [...]. A Fidesz lawmaker in September said the new bill could apply to "left-wing journalists, quasi-civil organisations" and political parties."

• The concerns in Washington D.C., and Brussels will be that the legislation is used to de-fund or muzzle voices critical to the gov't. The ambassador's comments come weeks after he also raised concerns about Orban's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in China, which resulted in a spat, with an aide to Orban saying Hungary was "fed up" with Pressman's "hypocrisy." The notable mistrust between the US and Hungary continues to pose a risk to bilateral relations despite their position as NATO allies.
• Separately, the US ambassador states that he "has been repeatedly assured at the senior-most levels of Hungarian gov't that Hungary will not be the last to ratify Sweden's accession to NATO." Adds that "we feel confident" that Sweden will soon be a NATO member. Comes a short time after the Turkish parliamentary committee examining Sweden's bid kicks the process into the long grass.