Hungary continues to massively reject the rule of law
Hungary continues to violate massively against the rule of law, according to an EU report. In Hungary, there is a "systemic problem" with fundamental rights, said Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders in Brussels on a Wednesday. This includes corruption and violations of press freedom. The EU Commission threatened the Slovakia with a procedure due to rule of law issues.
In its fifth report on the rule of law, the Commission gives a "record number" of eight recommendations to the government of Viktor Orban, according to an EU official. Politically sensitive, as Hungary has held the rotating EU Council presidency in this half-year.
Violations exist in Hungary, according to Vice President of the Commission Vera Jourova, in all four pillars of the rule of law: in the judiciary, in measures against corruption, in press freedom, and in the separation of powers.
In the EU country report on Hungary, it is stated that "some corruption cases at the highest level" are now being legally pursued, but there are no evidence of the extent of prosecution and final judgments against high-ranking officials. In addition, the Orban government must strengthen the editorial independence of publicly-funded media and repeal laws that restrict the work of civil society organizations.
Justice Commissioner Reynders had already criticized the country "for significant deviations from the rule of law" last year. The EU had therefore initiated various procedures against Hungary in recent years and frozen EU funding. Currently, over 20 billion euros in EU aid for Hungary are still frozen due to fundamental rights violations, such as those related to asylum law, according to Reynders.
The EU-Report critiques Hungary for a 'record number' of rule of law violations, specifically in the areas of judiciary, corruption, press freedom, and separation of powers.In response to the EU's concerns, some corruption cases at the highest level in Hungary are being legally pursued, but the extent of prosecution and final judgments against high-ranking officials remain unclear.
