Status: 09/17/2022 8:40 p.m
The EU is threatening to cut billions in aid to Hungary. Budapest is now signaling a concession. Laws are to be passed in an expedited procedure, which should also lead to the establishment of an anti-corruption agency.
According to its own statements, Hungary wants to settle the dispute with the EU with several changes to the law. “The government has either accepted the wishes of the European Commission or, where we could not accept them, reached a compromise that satisfies both sides,” said Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff Gergely Gulyas. “The government discussed and approved these concessions today.”
The laws should be passed by Parliament in an expedited procedure and come into force in November. The changes are to include, among other things, the establishment of an independent anti-corruption agency. Measures are also planned to make the legislative process more transparent.
Corona aid not paid
The EU Commission had accused Hungary of insufficiently fighting corruption and therefore blocked around six billion euros in corona aid.
The Commission is expected to support the suspension of billions earmarked for Hungary from the common EU budget for 2021-2027 on the same grounds.
Decision already on Sunday?
Ursula von der Leyen’s EU Commission could decide on a corresponding proposal to the member states on Sunday, as the dpa news agency learned from EU circles.
According to the EU anti-corruption authority, in the period 2015-2019 the proportion of irregularities in the use of EU funds was higher in Hungary than in any other member state.
Hungary: New round in the rule of law dispute EU vs. Hungary
Wolfgang Vichtl, ARD Vienna, September 17, 2022 8:46 p.m