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Hungary's recently passed media law is unconstitutional, the Constitutional Court ruled on December 19. The court "rejected several provisions, including an article obliging journalists to reveal their sources and the one allowing the new media council to regulate the content of the written and on-line press, which would have been obliged to provide a 'balanced coverage' of information," reports French financial daily Les Echos. The law, which became effective last January, was condemned by the European Union, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the United Nations.
But is this "last gasp of the rule of law" a genuine blow "for the government of the autocratic Viktor Orbán?" wonders the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. In fact, the decision may have no impact because as of January 1, 2012 a new law will go into effect which reduces the powers of the Constitutional Court and allows Orbán's party to appoint members of the court. "It is nearly certain that the current decision will be overturned," warns the paper. The day following the Court's decision, Klubradio, considered as the only opposition radio in the country, had its license revoked by decision of the Medial Council, the very body whose powers the Court was seeking to curtailed.
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