Hungary said it would agree to have its commitment to the rule of law reviewed by the EU. That is what László Trócsányi, Hungarian Justice minister
ADVERTISEMENTHungary said it would agree to have its commitment to the rule of law reviewed by the EU.
That is what László Trócsányi, Hungarian Justice minister, told euronews in an interview in Brussels on Thursday.
The proposal, known as the rule of law mechanism, would allow EU governments to monitor and debate democratic institutions in member states.
“We don’t want to block this. I want only one thing, that it should not be politicians, who decide about this rule of law mechanism,” said Trócsányi. “If there are any questions regarding the rule of law, it has to be dealt with legal nature.”
A final decision on whether to enact the system and what it will look like could be taken by the end of the year.
But Budapest is also being criticised by Washington; the US recently added six senior Hungarian officials to a blacklist over corruption allegations.
The head of Hungary’s tax authority has already confirmed she was on the list, along with several colleagues at the tax office. She has firmly denied any wrongdoing.
“Corruption is a sin. And we have to take action against corruption. But we don’t want implications suggestions, or messages,” he said. “I think everybody deserves the presumption of innocence.”
The move represents concern amongst US officials that Hungary is becoming less democratic.