Outrage ensues as Hungary chairs EU talks on democratic standards

More than €19 billion in EU funds are currently being withheld from Hungary over rule of law concerns, including violations of judicial independence and restrictions on academic freedom. For its failure to guarantee the rights of asylum seekers, the European Court of Justice imposed a €200 million lump-sum fine on Hungary, along with a €1 million penalty for every day the country's regulations are not brought in line with the requirements. The bill is already over €100 million and a payment for request was sent for €93 million. 

Yet, Hungary has chaired a meeting of European affairs ministers in Brussels on Tuesday on preserving democratic standards on the continent, which was labelled by one prominent MEP as "outrageous". The EU’s annual rule of law report, which was published in July, concluded that the absence of investigations and prosecutions of high-level corruption cases in Hungary remained “a serious concern”, and voiced alarm about the independence of public service media and the “vilification” of civil society groups, among other issues.

Daniel Freund, a German Green MEP and prominent critic of the Orbán government, said allowing Hungary to chair a meeting on the rule of law should never have happened.

That a country that is under an article 7 – a fundamental value sanction – procedure, that has billions of its EU funds frozen for rule of law violations, that has just been fined €200m, plus €1m a day for rule of law violations, is now chairing the debate on the situation of the rule of law is outrageous,

the Guardian cited him as saying.

The EU’s other member states should have stepped in to prevent Hungary from chairing the meeting, he added.

Asked about the credibility of Hungary chairing EU discussions on the rule of law, Hungary’s EU affairs minister, János Bóka, responded:

Hungary performed its duties as presidency as an honest broker sincerely cooperating with all member states and institutions and I received no other indication from any other member state or institution.

During the meeting, ministers criticised Hungary for its failure to stress support for Ukraine under its six-month presidency programme. Sweden and Finland said EU funds should be more tightly linked to respect for the rule of law. Rosencrantz and her Finnish counterpart, Joakim Strand, said that the commission “should continue to make full use” of an EU regulation that tied EU funds to compliance with respecting the rule of law and tackling corruption. “Our taxpayers need to trust that the EU’s common funds are used appropriately and responsibly,” they wrote in a joint letter to the commission.

This was already brought to the attention of Hungary's Finance Minister Mihály Varga at an Ecofin meeting in July.

Cover photo: EU