European artists urge Juncker to remove Hungarian nominee

(PARIS) - European artists on Monday appealed to EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker to strip a Hungarian nominee from his position on the European Commission over his ties to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whom rights groups accuse of cracking down on the media and judiciary.

Musicians, stage directors, conductors and choreographers from across the continent signed a petition to be published in major newspapers this week, against the appointment of former Hungarian foreign minister Tibor Navracsics.

Navracsics was nominated to hold the culture, education, youth and citizenship portfolio.

He has already been censured after parliament's culture committee decided in a vote that he was unsuited to the portfolio, although that move is only likely to see him stripped of the citizenship role.

"This nomination has caused a great deal of upset and worry in the political and cultural scene across Europe," read the petition.

As a member of Orban's government, Navracsics "actively took part in a political programme, which... turned its back on human rights, betrayed common European values, restricted freedom of expression, refused cultural diversity and bullied the cultural sector."

The petition argued that stripping him of the citizenship portfolio was not enough.

"Culture and education are the fundamental cornerstones of European construction," it read, adding that economic measures were not sufficient to lift Europe out of crisis.

The petition said the cultural sector could contribute to economic growth, innovation, education and social inclusion.

The criticism of Navracsics comes despite his efforts to distance himself from Orban, often criticised in Brussels over an autocratic and xenophobic style of government.

Some of the signatories include Pierre Audi, director of the Dutch national opera, British composer George Benjamin, Olivier Py, general manager of the Avignon film festival and Italian stage director Romeo Castellucci.