00:00But Gemma, J.D. Vance actually criticised the EU, which is something we've seen before, for this alleged interference in
00:09the Hungary elections.
00:10I don't know what you make of this, but it's quite interesting because we have to remember that this isn't
00:16the first time that J.D. Vance has hit out at Brussels.
00:20No, it's like we can't, we're trying to see how much further the relations between Europe and the US can
00:30be stretched.
00:31And to me, this is another of those litmus tests.
00:35So Vance has been arguing very publicly as well that the financial pressures that the EU has been putting on
00:43Hungary equals political interference.
00:46Now, the EU has frozen or withheld funding to Hungary because of what they call governance reforms.
00:54Now, critics like Vance, they say that this influenced domestic politics and weakens elective governments.
01:01And for him, that constitutes indirect election interference.
01:06Now, there's also unverified and uncontested claims that EU-linked institutions and NGOs have been supporting opposition voices.
01:14And Vance, again, has framed this as external actors trying to shape electoral outcomes.
01:20Now, as you said, there is also the ideological conflict and we can't ignore that.
01:25So Orban is right wing. He's anti-immigration.
01:28Whilst within the EU, they tend to lean a little bit more liberal Democrat and they're seeking stronger integration.
01:35So Orban is very much sided with the current US administration with regards to his policies.
01:41Now, he's also signalling that the US alignment is sympathetic to nationalist governments.
01:48And again, we're seeing this not overt, but implied criticism of the EU at a time when relations are really
01:57at an all time low.
01:58Now, from their point, the EU say that their actions are an enforcement of agreed EU deals.
02:07It was that when Hungary joined the EU, they agreed to, you know, an array of deal, sorry, of rules
02:13and laws.
02:14And that they must, member states must uphold democratic standards and maintain judicial independence.
02:21So the EU say that this withdrawal of funding or this withholding of funding is because Hungary has not been
02:28meeting their conditions in that respect.
02:29So the EU say that
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