The EU looks forward to reforms in Hungary; before the recovery plan is approved / Article

The EU looks forward to reforms in Hungary; before they are approvedRihards Plūme00:00 / 03:54

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According to EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reinders, there are systemic problems with the rule of law in Hungary and the EC is ready to use all instruments to protect democracy, including suspending the use of EU funds. The EC Justice Report, published in the summer, listed serious concerns about the rule of law in both Poland and Hungary. The Commission noted that both countries were undermining media pluralism and the independence of the judiciary. These are the only two Member States where there is a formal EU investigation into threats to the rule of law.

The EU also wants Poland and Hungary to join the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, otherwise the bloc cannot be sure that these countries have sufficient protection against fraud and corruption. The Commissioner acknowledged in the summer that all possibilities for dialogue with Poland and Hungary had been exhausted and that the Commission therefore wanted to take action against them.

The Hungarian government on Tuesday accused Brussels of blackmailing EU funding. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Siyarto accuses Brussels of using bloc funding as blackmail to bring about political change. According to him, the EU approach is “unacceptable”. The Minister insisted that Budapest would not seek compromises in local legislation, which he said was designed to protect the family. He thus referred to a recently passed law that Brussels and other critics say is directed against the LGBT community.

Siyarto said the blackmail in Brussels was incomplete because the rating agency Moody’s had recently upgraded Hungary’s rating and the country had had huge success in the bond market. For this reason, Hungary has enough money to start recovery projects without EU funds.

As EC spokeswoman Dana Spinante told reporters on Monday, it cannot be said whether the two sides will reach an agreement.

“I cannot yet say whether we are approaching an agreement or not. All I can say is that we are involved in these negotiations on the part of the European Commission and we hope to reach an agreement with our partners at national level as soon as possible. But I cannot say , whether such an agreement will be reached by the end of September, “said Spinante.

The Commission representative did not comment on what would happen at the end of the month or in October. It is not yet possible to say what the theoretical scenarios might be after the deadline. A visit of MEPs is expected to take place in Budapest on 1 October to discuss the rule of law with the Hungarian side. Until November, Hungary will also chair the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, whose priorities are the protection of minorities and families.

Hungary’s talks with Brussels are taking place at a time when opposition elections in the country are still ongoing. From October 4 to October 10, a second round of pre-election elections will be held to nominate a candidate for the post of Prime Minister. The pre-election will allow opposition supporters to nominate one candidate to oppose Prime Minister Viktor Orban and joint candidates to compete with Fidesz politicians in 106 constituencies.

The opposition, which has been divided for years, has now set a common goal: next year’s election to overthrow Orban. The Alliance brings together six different opposition parties, including the left, the Liberal and the former far right. The opposition accuses 58-year-old Orban of endemic corruption and predisposes to authoritarianism. The opposition hopes that the new pre-election system will pave the way for the defeat of Orban’s party, Fidesz.

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