Banks win loan court case
Tuesday, July 9th, 2013A conservative blogger believes that creditors who demand radical state action and even the annulation of their mortgage loan contracts echo the public culture of the pre-1989 era. READ MORE
Benevolent criticism of Matolcsy’s stimulus project
Saturday, April 13th, 2013A conservative critic of government policies thinks the new growth-oriented credit scheme announced by the National Bank may help, but only if Hungarian small businesses are competitive enough and banks are ready to embrace the project. READ MORE
Matolcsy’s first package
Saturday, April 6th, 2013Népszabadság reacts with relief to the first programme announced on Thursday by the new National Bank chief, while Magyar Nemzet comments that Mr Matolcsy has done more in one week than his predecessor did in six years. READ MORE
IMF credit deal less probable than ever
Saturday, December 22nd, 2012Two pro-government commentators disagree over the desirability of a credit-line agreement with the International Monetary Fund. READ MORE
The fear of a credit crunch
Wednesday, November 7th, 2012A long-time right-wing critic of the government’s economic policy warns that prolonged banking taxes might result in a steep decline in economic output. READ MORE
Why the government is tough about the IMF talks
Saturday, September 22nd, 2012A leading pro-government commentator argues that Hungary can afford to be tough at the negotiations with the IMF-EU duo, and is right to stand up for its own interests. READ MORE
IMF and Brussels could demand painful policy changes
Thursday, July 12th, 2012Commentators agree that the IMF and the EU will make the credit line agreement with Hungary conditional on significant changes in the tax code. But while a left-wing columnist believes that the IMF’s demands would benefit the lower classes, a pro-government pundit contends that it would only be advantageous for multinational firms. READ MORE
EU lifts Hungarian cohesion fund suspension
Monday, June 25th, 2012The leading pro-government daily welcomes the decision by the ECOFIN to lift the suspension of 500 million Euros in aid to Hungary, and explains it as an open acknowledgement of the validity of the government’s economic policies. Left-wing commentators, on the other hand, believe that the Hungarian government has wasted two years and was forced by the EU to back-pedal on the counter-productive economic strategy it initially pursued. READ MORE
Could Hungary benefit from the IMF’s U-turn?
Friday, May 11th, 2012Pro-government commentators wonder whether Hungary can expect more flexibility from the EU and the IMF, after Olli Rehn and Christine Lagarde suggested that the principle of deficit cuts is not carved in stone – for some EU member states, at least. READ MORE
The price of the IMF loan
Monday, April 30th, 2012Now that the European Commission have given the green light for Hungary to start negotiating a credit-line agreement with the IMF, commentators assess the possible consequences of the restrictions announced by PM Viktor Orbán. Both left and right agree that the talks are a step forward, but the country could pay a very high price for the credit-line. READ MORE