CÖF criticises Pressman – The Budapest Times

Written by Christina Vontin

The pro-government forum CÖF-CÖKA has criticised payments amounting to a good 170 million forints (around 425,000 euros), which the outgoing US ambassador David Pressman distributed to left-liberal media at the last minute.

This behaviour by the ambassador not only endangered Hungary’s sovereignty, it also violated the rules of diplomacy, the spokesperson for the pro-government forum CÖF-CÖKA said at a press conference in Budapest. Zoltán Lomnici jr. announced that CÖF-CÖKA would support a possible investigation by the Office for the Protection of Sovereignty. In future, the organisation would extend its investigations not only to NGOs, but also to the media and monitor ‘foreign-controlled’ editorial offices. The domestic and international left would cause a huge scandal if the ambassador of a foreign country financed pro-government or right-wing conservative media.

CÖF founder László Csizmadia announced the transformation of the so-called EU Council for Civil Cooperation (EUCET), which previously brought together organisations from 16 countries, into a private foundation. The new Patriotic EU Foundation for Civil Co-operation (PEUCET) should be an effective instrument for shaping the community. As a first action, the planned borrowing of 85 billion forints by the city of Budapest will be reviewed.