According to POLITICO, the European Parliament (EP) is set to sue the European Commission for unblocking €10.2 billion in EU funds due to Hungary last December that had previously been frozen.
The EP’s legal affairs committee on Monday voted nearly unanimously—with 16 members in favour, one opposed and no abstentions—to take the Commission to court for ‘breaching its obligation to protect taxpayer money from being misused.’
The EP’s political groups will convene on Thursday to determine whether to initiate the lawsuit, which necessitates the approval of EP President Roberta Metsola. According to officials speaking to POLITICO, European People’s Party (EPP) leader Manfred Weber, alongside the leaders of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Greens, Left, and liberals,
will vote in favour of the motion.
Daniel Freund, a Green MEP known for his consistent criticism of Hungary, also commented on the matter. ‘We believe we have a solid case, as the Commission has contradicted itself on whether Hungary is respecting the rule of law,’ he told POLITICO. Freund further shared a post on the social media platform X, writing: ‘The rule of law can’t be traded for deals with Orbán!’
In November 2022, the Commission opted to freeze the funds Hungary was entitled to receive from the Recovery and Resilience Fund and the Cohesion Fund. These payments were contingent upon the fulfilment of two distinct sets of parallel conditions, of which Brussels assessed that the Hungarian government had met enough to warrant the release of €10.2 billion last December.
The Commission faced immediate criticism from the left-wing EP, prompting Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to be summoned for a hearing in January.
‘Last May, Hungary passed a new law on justice reform that addresses a number of our recommendations from the 2022 Report. It is a law that strengthens judicial independence and limits the possibility of political interference in the judiciary. This was required for Hungary to meet the conditions for cohesion funds. This is what we requested—and this is what Hungary delivered,’ von der Leyen stated at the time.
The Commission has once again defended its decision, with a spokesperson stating to POLITICO that their position remains unchanged. They assert that the Commission has acted in accordance with EU law and is
prepared to defend its decision in the EU courts.
Although some funds have indeed been unblocked by the Commission, more than €20 billion remain blocked due to ‘rule of law concerns.’ Brussels expects the Hungarian government to abandon its long-standing and consistent stance on illegal migration and to amend the child protection law adopted in summer 2021 in order to unblock the remaining funds. According to Brussels, the law places sexual minorities at a disadvantage, whereas its purported aim is to protect children from LGBTIQ propaganda and gender ideology.
Given that these principles and values are unlikely to be abandoned by the government, further lengthy discussions and negotiations are anticipated in the coming months. The disagreements between the two parties could potentially be influenced by the potential success of right-wing parties in the upcoming summer European elections. Such success would mean that the next EP would no longer be dominated by a left-wing majority, potentially paving the way for pragmatic cooperation rather than ideological opposition.
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