Licking Old Wounds, Weber Attacks Orban Over Anti-War Policy

Manfred Weber, known for his wheeling and dealing, has wounds that don't appear to heal. The EPP's chief attacks Viktor Orban because he opposes the war the most strongly in Europe. Weber denies any plans of reinstating conscription, despite the fact that the first such proposal dates back to 2017. He is doing the same as Brussels did with the mandatory relocation quota: denying it for years and then pushing it through.

Manfred Weber (Photo: dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP/Daniel Lob)

Manfred Weber is afraid of Viktor Orban. The German politician has not forgotten that Viktor Orban blocked Manfred Weber's career in Brussels in 2019. Partly due to this and the Hungarian Prime Minister's anti-war stance, he has launched yet another attack. The EPP chief may fear that Hungary's prime minister will once again stand in the way of his advancement in Brussels. It is worth recalling that in 2019, the German politician made headlines for a financial chicanery: renting his own house as an office on money from Brussels. 

Manfred Weber arrives at the "office" he rented from himself (the picture could also be captioned "homecoming") at 22.30 on April 30,  2019 (Photo: V4NA)

"Viktor Orban is deliberately spreading fake news to discredit his political opponents" Weber explained in an interview with Spiegel.  

Verlangt EVP-Chef Manfred Weber eine europäische Wehrpflicht? Das behauptet Ungarns Regierungschef Viktor Orbán. Allein: Es stimmt nicht. Jetzt ist Weber der Kragen geplatzt. https://t.co/uyegFUAKAO

— DER SPIEGEL (@derspiegel) June 3, 2024

In an interview with the German newspaper, Weber said that neither he nor any other politician in Brussels was pushing for compulsory EU-wide conscription. The politician claims this despite the fact that he previously came up with the crazy idea of ​​bringing back compulsory military service in all EU member states. The issue of conscription has become a common topic of discussion in Germany in recent weeks.

As the international V4NA news agency reported, the party alliance of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) has voted to put mandatory military service back on its agenda during their party congress, promising to reintroduce it once it retakes power in Berlin. 

In a number of articles, Magyar Nemzet has presented evidence that the reinstatement of mandatory conscription has been a long-cherished plan in Germany. War psychosis is contagious. In Germany, Boris Pistorius has repeatedly argued for the reinstatement of military service, which was suspended in 2011. On May 27, the defense minister presented his plans to his party's board. However, contrary to initial reports, what he outlined is probably not based solely on voluntary service, the Kreiszeitung  wrote.

Boris Pistorius made it clear: without compulsory service, it will not work.

The defense minister told the Zeit Online that in the medium term, a regulation should allow young people to be drafted against their will.

What the Germans implement will later appear at EU level, 

Zoltan Kiszelly, head of political analysis at Szazadveg Foundation, pointed out recently. The German practice will sooner or later become European practice, and this is what makes this German initiative dangerous, the expert stressed.

As Magyar Nemzet reported in an earlier piece, the proposal, known as the Weber-plan, was first put forth in 2017 by the Junge Union, which proposed to introduce military service  for women and men across Europe.

The document published by the Junge Union, the youth organization of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), says 

the increase in international conflicts calls for the creation of a strong European Defense Union to guarantee peace and security in Europe, together with and within the framework of NATO. Such an institution would bring together military competences in a single European security and defense system and further encourage exchanges between national armies.

Screenshot of the proposal on compulsory military service first put forth in 2017

According to Bundeswehr Journal, Ursula von der Leyen was also in attendance at the 2017 meeting. So, not only does the plan exist, but politicians at the highest level are aware of it.
 

(Photo: Screenshot of Bundeswehr Journal)
 

But the pro-war politicians seem to have misjudged the situation. In Germany, the majority wants neither conscription nor war. And a coalition crisis has erupted over the proposal by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. 

Pistorius wants to recruit more than 20,000 new soldiers to make up for the Bundeswehr's shortfall and make it more combat-ready. To achieve this, the ministry is hoping, among other things, to reintroduce compulsory military service. However, Der Spiegel reported on Monday that the minister reportedly favored voluntary service when he presented his model. The term 'conscription' was allegedly never mentioned.

"Defense Minister Boris Pistorius later corrected these reports, making it clear that "without compulsory service, it will not work."

As Magyar Nemzet reported, the idea of reintroducing conscription in Germany has met with strong opposition from Alexander Muller, the defense policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag. Muller was clearly against the reintroduction of compulsory military service, which he considers "a massive violation of freedom and civil rights". 

The FDP does not want any manner of compulsory service,

said FDP liberal politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who is the party's top candidate in the European Parliament elections. The FDP defense expert prefers calling for the activation of 900,000 reservists  in Germany in response to the Russian threat.

In Der Spiegel, Lithuania's foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis summed up Brussels's frustration over talks with EU counterparts last week. According to the Lithuanians' calculations, Hungary has blocked 41 percent of all EU decisions on Ukraine. 

He cited Budapest's blocking of payments from the European Peace Facility, which compensates member states for military aid to Ukraine, as an example. Accession negotiations with the country are also "being held hostage by Hungary", he said, adding that "almost all our discussions, our necessary solutions and our decisions are being blocked by one country."

So far, relations have remained "friendly and polite". But the Hungarian drama has "gone very, very far".

German imperial arrogance

The European People's Party (EPP) president also stressed in an interview that "we are extending a hand to democratic Hungary". However, he also remarked that "there will be no cooperation with Orban".

The Hungarian PM has not yet understood that his anti-democratic behavior will only drive him further into political isolation

says the Christian Social Union (CSU) politician.

So here is further proof of the West's attitude towards our country. They want to tell Hungary from Brussels and Berlin, who should lead the country. And because Western leaders suffering from war psychosis don't like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's pro-peace stance, they don't want to work with him.

After reading @ManfredWeber’s comments in @derspiegel, even in light of all these historical experiences, I am still shocked by how quickly #German incompetence turns into German arrogance.

In the past 5 yrs under German leadership, #Europe has shot itself in the foot with the… https://t.co/wQS1pSqr2y

— Balázs Orbán (@BalazsOrban_HU) June 4, 2024

Balazs Orban reacted on X to Manfred Weber's interview. The prime minister's policy chief wrote:

Even in light of all these historical experiences, I am still shocked by how quickly German incompetence turns into German arrogance. In the past 5 years under German leadership, Europe has shot itself in the foot with the war. The continent’s economy and competitiveness have been destroyed. They have allowed countless migrants to enter, undermining public safety, and pushed for an unachievable green transition, wrecking European farmers and businesses.

The policy chief also added that Now, the same leadership arrogantly preaches that Europe should get ready for war and fight against Russia again, claiming that anyone who refuses to join Germany's side is not a good citizen of the “big” Empire. He stressed that Hungarians will vote against this type of German policy on June 9.

Cover photo: Manfred Weber (Photo by Daniel Lob / DPA / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP)