The Hungarian government announced on Tuesday (23) that it will send to Parliament the review and suspension of several laws criticized by the European Union, in an attempt to convince Brussels to release funds destined for the country. Changes, however, are subject to prior agreement with the block.
“We have already introduced part of these changes and promised several more amendments if the agreement with the European Commission is signed,” said Gergely Gulyas, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff.
In April, two days after the prime minister’s election victory, the European Union’s Executive announced the start of disciplinary proceedings to cut budgets from Budapest due to violations of the rule of law – the action had been validated by the European Court of Justice in February. Brussels accuses Budapest of evading democratic standards, failing to create mechanisms against corruption and persecuting the LGBQIA+ community and immigrants.
In practice, the funds were already blocked. Otherwise, Hungary would have already received €7bn (R$35.6bn) from the European Union, around 5% of GDP. The same blockade hit Poland, which would gain €36 billion (R$183.2 billion). The amounts are part of the trillion-dollar package for the continent’s economic recovery after Covid-19.
When he was re-elected, Orbán criticized the EU and said his victory was “so big that it could even be seen from the moon and certainly from Brussels”. The result, however, did not shake the European bloc and, now, with inflation reaching almost 15%, the Hungarian premier is willing to give in on some points.
Gulyas said on Tuesday that the package sent to parliament covers all the commission’s recommendations and creates a “more rigorous than ever” system to oversee the use of EU funds and procurement contracts – the European bloc blames Hungary’s government. of ignoring transparency in public tenders.
Brussels confirmed receipt of Budapest’s proposals and the bloc now has a month to analyze them. If it deems it insufficient, the European Commission can propose that the other 26 countries approve financial penalties against Orbán’s government.
The relationship with Poland, on the other hand, is moving at a slower pace. Earlier this month, the European Union said the country had not done enough to reverse measures that the bloc said went against the rule of law.
The main point of conflict with Poland revolves around a reform of the judiciary implemented in early 2020. The bill created, among other things, a disciplinary chamber with powers to reduce salaries and revoke the immunity of judges — a form of direct interference. of the Executive.
At the request of the EU, Warsaw dismantled the chamber, but Brussels still considers that the government has not restored the independence of the judiciary. At the time, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Law and Justice (PiS), the party that leads the majority coalition in Parliament, said he was convinced that the European Union “wants to break Poland”.
