Rule of law: the EU launches the procedure which could deprive Hungary of European funds

Published on: 05/04/2022 – 20:43 Two days after a fourth election victory in a row for the sovereignist leader Viktor Orban, the European Commission has decided to launch against Hungary an unprecedented procedure allowing, in the event of violations of the rule of law, to suspend the payment of European funds. The European Commission took action on Tuesday April 5 against Hungary, two days after a new electoral victory for sovereigntist Viktor Orban, by announcing the start of a procedure which could deprive Budapest of European funds due to accusations of corruption The launch of this unprecedented procedure was announced by the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, before the European Parliament, which applauded this initiative. right, on the other hand, escapes such a procedure at this stage. The European Budget Commissioner, Johannes Hahn, “spoke today (Tuesday) with the Hungarian authorities and informed them that we will now send the letter of formal notice to activate the mechanism,” the German official said during a question-and-answer session with MEPs. She did not specify what the content of this letter was. But in a previous letter sent to Budapest in November, the Commission had expressed concerns about problems with public procurement, conflicts of interest and corruption. An insufficient fight against corruption is also the reason for the blockage by the Commission of the Hungarian recovery plan, amounting to 7.2 billion euros in European subsidies. Discussions with Budapest on this issue “do not currently make it possible to find common ground”, commented Ursula von der Leyen. Brussels wants to “punish Hungarian voters”, according to Budapest Gergely Gulyas, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff , accused the Commission of “making a mistake” and of wanting to “punish Hungarian voters for not having expressed an opinion to the taste of Brussels during the elections” on Sunday. Congratulated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, to whom he is close, Viktor Orban did not fail to attack the “bureaucrats of Brussels” in his victory speech, also scratching Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Comments little appreciated in Brussels, in the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The “conditionality” mechanism is a procedure in force since January 2021, but never used yet, allowing the payment of European funds to be suspended violations of the rule of law affecting EU finances.A possible suspension or reduction of payments must be approved by at least 15 out of 27 Member States representing at least 65% of the total EU population. Such a procedure should take between six and nine months. The Court of Justice of the EU confirmed the legality of this regulation in mid-February, rejecting the actions for annulment by Hungary and Poland. The European Parliament had been urging the Commission for months to activate this mechanism, but the latter had decided to wait for the green light from the Court. “Finally!” “It’s happening, finally!” German MEP Daniel Freund (Greens). The Hungarian elected Katalin Cseh (Renew Europe) for her part pinpointed the “considerable and unnecessary delay” of this decision. ‼️BREAKING‼️
“We will now send the formal letter of notification to start the conditionality mechanism (to the Hungarian government).”Von der Leyen just now in plenary.It’s happening.FINALLY! pic.twitter.com/WiAbjMdpel— Daniel Freund (@daniel_freund) April 5, 2022 “It was a strategic mistake not to trigger the mechanism well before the elections,” said Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield (Greens), European Parliament rapporteur on Hungary. “Many elements show a capture of European funds by the regime and those close to Orban”, underlined the expert Éric Maurice, of the Schuman Foundation. For Poland, the attacks on the budget of the EU, a condition to be able to implement the conditionality regulation, “are less obvious despite the weakening of the rule of law due to the lack of independence of judges”, according to him. This question of the judicial reforms carried out by the party nationalist-populist PiS in power in Poland has earned Warsaw several condemnations from European justice and financial penalties. The Commission has set three conditions for approving the Polish recovery plan (23.9 billion euros in subsidies): the dismantling of a controversial disciplinary chamber, the reform of the disciplinary regime for judges and the reinstatement of dismissed judges. “We are close to it but we are not there yet,” said Ursula von der Leyen, who is due to travel to Warsaw on April 9 to participate in a fundraiser for Ukrainian refugees. Poland is the country that hosts the largest number (1.5 million according to the authorities). With AFP