From various news reports we hear that MOL will be lowering some prices at the pump starting tomorrow. While this is no doubt due to changes in the international price for crude oil and refined petroleum products, we are likely to see some PR-friendly moves by the dominant Hungarian oil firm in the coming weeks, owing to the recent news that Russian producer Surgutneftegaz had bought a 20% block of MOL shares from OMV of Austria, which a few years back had made an unsuccessful bid to take over its Hungarian peer.
In addition to worried sounding noises from takeover-shy MOL executives, and some saber-rattling by politicians, we now seeing what appears to be the first expression of “grassroots” opposition to the possibility that MOL could end up in the hands of the Russians (that would be the cheesy Photoshopped MOL logo above left).
As for whether Hungarians should be concerned about Russian control of the country’s biggest oil company, it’s hard to say. Though since national airline Malév is already controlled by Russians and had recently been struggling with a lack of credit from fuel suppliers, there is one patriotic reason to welcome our latest economic invaders.
Hungary needs to be alerted to tha fact that nobody in Europe really wants anything to do with Russia.. and with good cause.
History should have taught us something……
Well, the whole of Europe is 90 percent plus dependent on Russia. Russia had many colonies throughout Europe for decades during the CCCP-era, and old ways die hard, anyhow. Besides, if the Russkies should decide to turn off the oil and gas valves, the hapless Western Europeans will soon freeze their collective arses in wintertime.
Hungary would do best to sell itself back to Russia, as certainly the so-called ‘West’ has not much use for this rather messed-up country.
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@Karman
If you really believe that to be aligned with Russia is prefferable to anything in the West???
Then we are in trouble…
What Russia has to offer comes at too high a price.. In every sence.
Russia like most of its former allies, is incapable of doing honest and fair trading of any kind.
It cannot be trusted on any level, it has no moral values that couldn’t be easliy bought and the Russian value on life itself is rooted in the 10th Century.
There is no future for Hungary looking BACK towards Moscow. that is the road into darkness and the destruction of Hungary?
Well, I lived and worked in Mother Russia for a few years. During my time there, I met a chap who has been retired from the KGB but was way, way up in the ranks while active. He used to fly to Hunagry from Moscow on a private plane back in the days, the stories he told me… Anyhow, this Russkie had told me that even he was afraid of the Hungarian Communists, they were so rabid and brutal. And he also has told me that the Hungarians did types of torture that they didn’t even do at the KGB HQ in Russia. Having installing a huge cattle grinder in a basement and throwing live people into it while making others to watch it, heartwarming stuff like that.
Let’s be honest here, down-on-its-luck and end-on-its-rope present day Hunagry has got a lot more to do historically with the Ottomans and Russians than it has with the Swiss and Canadians. Hungarians like to consider themselves Westernes, that is true, but the Easterns consider Hungary part of the Eastern sphere of nations. And let’s face, the West and Westerners have always looked down slightly on Hungary and its people.
Other than some high-interests loans and a bunch of dubious Western “investments,” Hungary hasn’t really gotten all that much useful from the West, actually. Besides, if they don’t want to freeze their arses in wintertime, they better be nice to Messrs. Medvedev and Putin — or else. This adage holds true for most of Western Europe as well, of course.