The first two amendments to the law were approved with large majorities on Monday, the parliament in Budapest announced on its website. In the dispute over the rule of law in Hungary and because of the allegation of insufficient anti-corruption measures, Brussels is withholding funds from the Corona Aid Fund of around 5.8 billion euros requested by Budapest. In addition, the EU Commission proposed a cut in EU aid for Hungary by 7.5 billion euros.
Complaining is easier now
The government of right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban therefore announced a series of reforms to settle the dispute with Brussels in mid-September. The amendments now passed by Parliament provide, among other things, for citizens to be able to sue in court if they believe that the public prosecutor’s office has arbitrarily dropped investigations into corruption.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Orban and the EU keep clashing
A reform was also passed, requiring public hearings on proposed legislation. Parliament is due to pass further reforms on Tuesday, including the appointment of an “independent authority” to monitor the use of EU funds.
Budapest and Brussels in constant dispute
In April, the EU activated the so-called rule of law mechanism against Hungary, which allows funding cuts. In September, the European Parliament denied that Hungary was still a “full democracy”. In addition to rampant corruption, the EU accuses the country of serious deficits in fundamental rights.
According to experts, Hungary, in view of its massive economic problems, is heavily dependent on the billions from the EU. The Hungarian economy, like the rest of Europe, is suffering from high inflation and currency weakness as a result of the Russian war against Ukraine.
haz/hf (afp)
