As over 12 thousand asylum seekers sleep rough on Lesbos island after their camp burnt down on Wednesday, a pro-government commentator blames Europe’s half-hearted attitude toward mass immigration. READ MORE
A pro-government columnist finds the Greek reaction to thousands of asylum-seekers trying to cross its borders brutal but understandable. A left-wing pundit suspects that the Hungarian government cannot protect the country either from illegal migration or from the coronavirus. READ MORE
Commentators across the political spectrum wonder whether Greek PM Tsipras’ decision to step down is a tactical stunt or an admission of failure. They also ponder its implications for sovereignty and austerity. READ MORE
Opinions diverge sharply on who is at fault for Greece’s financial difficulties and whether the solution accepted by the parties is a step forward or backward. A right-wing author thinks Hungary managed to avoid being plunged into a comparable crisis thanks to the unorthodox policies pursued by the government after 2010. READ MORE
The leading left-wing daily warns that the harsh conditions imposed on Greece in exchange for a new European bailout scheme might deter new candidates including Hungary from joining the Eurozone. READ MORE
In their weekend analyses, written before Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras submitted his new proposals to the European Union, commentators discussed the possible outcomes of the negotiations and whether Europe’s response should be to move towards a federal state or looser integration.
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A leading conservative pundit thinks the leftist Greek government (like the right-wing Hungarian one five years ago) is right when to reject further financial restrictions, which have only plunged the country deeper into debt. READ MORE
A right-wing commentator compares the mood of the Greek public to the way Hungarians felt after 1995, in the aftermath of a stiff austerity package introduced by Lajos Bokros, then Socialist Finance Minister and now Conservative member of the European Parliament. READ MORE
A left-liberal news portal compares the victory of the ”no” in Greece to a referendum held against co-payment in higher education and the health service in Hungary in 2008 which sealed the defeat of the Left. READ MORE
An independent conservative pundit remarks that the West is suggesting the very same therapy to Greece it severely criticised when it was applied by Hungary. He thinks advertisements should be heavily taxed and TV ad time severely cut back, but not just in order to reduce public deficits.