EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday in the European Parliament in Strasbourg that her authority would take the first step in the so-called rule of law mechanism. The EU Commission informed the Hungarian authorities about this on Tuesday.
The move had previously been announced by EU budget commissioner Johannes Hahn. Hahn said in an interview with the “Tiroler Tageszeitung” (Tuesday edition) that the EU Commission would take action in Hungary and set the mechanism in motion – because of the suspicion of corruption and problems with public procurement. This could lead to a cut in EU funds for Hungary.
ECJ dismissed complaints
In February, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) rejected complaints by Hungary and Poland against the rule of law mechanism. This cleared the way for the EU Commission to initiate the rule of law mechanism, which could ultimately mean cuts in EU funding.
According to the newspaper, Hahn currently sees no application in Poland because there are problems within the judicial system. Hahn also emphasized the separation between Poland’s solidarity with Ukrainian refugees and the rule of law conflict. “The achievements of Poland in particular in taking in Ukrainian refugees must be recognized without reservation, but that cannot mean that it has been given carte blanche under the rule of law.”
Poland does not receive the full amount of funds from the EU budget allotted to it because it has not implemented judgments of the European Court of Justice. Specifically, according to the ECJ ruling, Poland should have closed a lignite mine on the border with the Czech Republic, but did not do so. The penalties incurred will be deducted from Polish EU funds. Although Warsaw has now reached an agreement with Prague, the penalties incurred up to that point still have to be paid, according to Hahn.
The EU Commission has also blocked the funds from the Corona reconstruction fund “Next Generation EU” for Poland and Hungary – also because of doubts about the rule of law use.
Austria calls for decisive action
Austrian MEPs called on Tuesday for decisive action against Hungary in the rule of law conflict. The delay in the Article 7 rule of law procedure and the rule of law mechanism is scandalous, said NEOS MEP Claudia Gamon, who accused the EU of being too appeased. The war in Ukraine has also revealed that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is “almost a vassal of Putin in Europe”.
The head of the Green delegation, Monika Vana, warned that the admission of refugees should never be used to disregard the rule of law. After Orban’s election victory, further misuse of EU funds in Hungary is to be feared, said SPÖ MEP Bettina Vollath. The EU Commission had “watched for far too long” and was “definitely to blame for the situation”.
Orban’s national-conservative Fidesz party won Sunday’s parliamentary elections by a surprisingly large margin. Orban is about to enter his fourth term. The EU has been at odds with Orban on many issues for years. In the dispute over democracy standards, for example, it has already frozen funds for Hungary.
Source: Nachrichten
