Hungarians Sour on EU, Protest Against Turkish Entry

According to state news agency MTI, a group of Hungarian youths staged a demonstration yesterday in Brussels against Turkey joining the EU. The protest action was part of the international campaign "Voice for Europe," and is the brainchild of several European civic groups, including the Hungarian Foundation for European Values. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness on the continent of the potential dangers of EU membership for Turkey, talks about which are due start in October.

Miklós Kiskovács, the main organizer of the protest action, said that his group is not "against" Turkey or the Turkish people, but simply would prefer it if Turkey had a special partnership with the EU, rather than full membership. They explain their views by pointing out, among other things, that the rights of women and national minorities are still violated in Turkey; that the country's joining would place a great financial burden on the EU; that most Turkish immigrants don't integrate well into the European societies in which they settle; and that there is a general difference in religion and value systems between the existing members of the EU and Hungary's former Ottoman overlord.

Meanwhile, a new survey released today shows that Hungarians are rapidly losing their enthusiasm for the EU. According to another MTI brief, the "Eurobarometer" poll found Hungarians among the least "Europhoric" of EU citizens, with support for the country's membership falling by seven percentage points in the last six months, to an anemic 42%. Indeed, the only countries found to be more euroskeptical than Hungary were Malta, Austria and Britain. No word on whether Hungarians feel more strongly about not liking being a member of the EU, or making sure that Turkey and other EU hopefuls don't get a similar chance to be disgruntled.