Hungary and the Rule of Law – Statement of the European Commission in the Plenary Debate of the European Parliament

EP Plenary/Strasbourg

17 April 2013

President,

Minister,

Honourable Members,

I want to thank the President for holding this debate today on a subject which is attracting a great deal of attention.

The European Parliament is the right place to discuss with EU institutions matters related to the values and principles on which the European Union is founded. Today, in representation of President Barroso and on behalf of the European Commission I would like to set out clearly the role and approach of the Commission. I will also give you an overview of where we stand with regard to the specific issues in question.

The Commission has been closely monitoring developments related to the Hungarian Constitutional system since 2011. President Barroso was in this House one year ago to inform you about the Commission position at that time.

Since then, the Commission has played a very active role as guardian of the Treaties. It has assessed the legislation and its compliance with EU law. Infringement procedures were launched. Some of them are pending. Others have been brought to judgment by the Court of Justice. The Commission’s interpretation of the EU law has been confirmed. We now expect the Hungarian authorities to fully comply with the judgement.

Allow me to briefly recall the recent developments concerning the situation in Hungary. On 11 March the Hungarian Parliament adopted the Fourth amendment to the fundamental law of Hungary. The week before and, in coordination with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr. Jagland, President Barroso spoke with Prime Minister Orbán. He communicated the Commission’s concern on the conformity of the Fourth Amendment with EU law and with the principle of the rule of law, which represents a core EU value.

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