Government continues the unfair treatment narrative as officials fight war of words with Brussels
Public Administration and Justice Minister Tibor Navracsics has advised EU Justice and Fundamental Rights Commissioner Viviane Reding to get her facts right before questioning judicial independence in Hungary, the latest move in a spat over sweeping government reforms.
Reding had said she expected Hungary to abide by a European Court of Justice ruling and reinstate over 200 judges and prosecutors forced out of office when the ruling Fidesz party lowered the mandatory retirement age from 70 to 62. Navracsics fired off a tetchy letter on Monday, two days after Reding’s words were published as an interview in left-wing newspaper Népszava.
The European court ruling does not include any reference to the alleged lack of independence of the Hungarian judiciary, Navracsics wrote. It refers to “difference in treatment on grounds of age”, the justice minister said. This is technically correct: the Commission had challenged the legislation by citing EU laws forbidding discrimination on the basis of age.
MMA countdown – Free Artists welcomes the resigned MMA-members!
TRANSZPARENCIÁT!