Hungary is the first country to face EU funding cuts due to potential violations of the rule of law. This was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Your authority will take the first step in what is called the rule of law mechanism. The European Union Commission informed the Hungarian authorities about this on Tuesday. “In Hungary we have made it clear that the problem is corruption,” von der Leyen said. Currently, a common denominator cannot be found.
Budapest can still comment on the allegations
Von der Leyen received applause for her announcement in Parliament. For EU funds to actually be cut, the final step still requires the approval of at least 15 EU countries with 65 percent of the EU population. Budapest has many opportunities to comment on the allegations beforehand.
The EU’s Rule of Law Mechanism has been in place since the beginning of 2021. The aim is to ensure that violations of the rule of law, such as the separation of powers, no longer go unpunished if they threaten to misuse EU funds.
Lawsuits from Hungary and Poland dismissed
Poland and Hungary considered themselves particularly at the focus of the instrument, and therefore lodged a complaint with the European Court of Justice. However, he dismissed the lawsuits in February. Both states receive billions from the combined budget each year.
However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban should feel encouraged in his path. His right-wing nationalist party Fidesz apparently won the parliamentary elections on Sunday. She received 53 per cent of the vote, thus securing a constitutionally amended two-thirds majority in Parliament for the fourth time in a row.
The European Parliament has been putting pressure on the EU Commission to launch the rule of law mechanism for a long time. However, the authority has always emphasized that it wants to wait for the decision of the European Court of Justice. As a result, no cases have been lost, von der Leyen said Tuesday. Parliament has even sued the EU Commission before the European Court of Justice for its hesitation – and the proceedings are still ongoing. (SDA)
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