Tag: Hungary

In this opinion piece, Hungarian minister Enikő Győri reacts to criticism by Liberal leader Guy Verhofstadt on Hungary's constitutional changes. EurActiv has suggested that the debate continues on video.

The gradual erosion in Hungary of the fundamental checks and balances of a democratic society is not going unnoticed, writes Guy Verhofstadt.

The European Commission accused Hungary of nonconformity with EU legislation and breaches of the rule of law during a plenary debate in the European Parliament yesterday (17 April) in Strasbourg. The country’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán paid a visit to the parliament the previous day.

The European Commission intends to take legal action against Hungary over amendments made to its constitution, the EU executive has said, raising doubts over whether the changes were compatible with EU law.

European political parties must act responsibly and not give cover for members of their own political parties, British MEP Graham Watson, president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, tells EurActiv.

Energy companies in Hungary have won a court case against the government over state-imposed natural gas price cuts, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told the European Parliament on Monday (11 March), calling it a "scandalous" legal decision.

Thousands of Hungarians protested in central Budapest on Saturday (9 March) against imminent changes to the country's constitution which they fear would curb democratic rights, echoing worries this week from the European Union and the United States.

For Bucharest, exchanging accusations with Hungary offers an opportunity to temporarily distract attention from its domestic situation. The country is emerging from the political crisis that engulfed it in 2012 caused by a dispute between Ponta and President Traian Basescu, writes Stratfor.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has warned that Europe risks falling into a “no-man’s land” between the emerging east and the US and called for closer European links with Russia.

Hungary appears to be a special case as EU leaders gather today (22 November) for a special summit on the Union’s 2014-2020 budget. Under the budget proposal by Council President Herman Van Rompuy, the country may lose about 30% of its cohesion allocations - “a huge political problem” for Budapest.

Hungary on Tuesday (6 November) pledged to rewrite a law that forced judges to retire at an earlier age after the European Union's highest court ruled that the bill violated the EU's rules and must be repealed.

Blaming Roma for everything from petty crime to trash on the streets, thousands of supporters of Hungary's far-right opposition Jobbik party rallied in the eastern city of Miskolc yesterday (17 October).

Michael Kambeck argues that Azerbaijan should face EU sanctions over its decision to pardon a soldier convicted of killing an Armenian counterpart during a NATO-sponsored training exercise.

Hungary has embarked on a plan to nationalise sectors of its economy, raising eyebrows in the business community. The European Commission appears to be watching these developments with concern though it is not yet ready to take action.

Hungary’s tough political control of the media and cultural life has been strongly criticised across the European Union. However, a member of the Swedish nationalist political party Sverigedemokraterna (SD) says Hungary is a good example when it comes to how to politically shape culture.

Spain faces spiralling debt unless its banking sector can be resolved the European Commission warned yesterday (30 May), in a series of country-specific reports totalling 1.500 pages, which also saw warnings sent to Cyprus and France.

François Hollande will play his hand carefully and those who expect him to precipitate a crisis in the eurozone are wrong, MEP Richard Howitt (S&D, UK), European Parliament Rapporteur on Corporate Social Responsibility, told EurActiv in an interview.

Far from showing unease about his many critics who accuse him of an authoritarian drift, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in Brussels yesterday (23 April) that his country should be seen as a "laboratory" for transforming the EU economically and politically.

Hungarian President Pál Schmitt announced his resignation today (2 April), as the plagiarism scandal around his doctoral thesis unfolded, the Hungarian media reported. 

The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe is an essential tool to examine the controversial laws in Hungary in an unbiased way, argues Françoise Pons from Club Grande Europe.

The Venice Commission, a Council of Europe body specialised in constitutional matters, found yesterday (19 March) "numerous problematic elements" in the laws regulating Hungary's judicial system and even called for amending the country's new constitution. 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán took a conciliatory tone with the Commission in an effort to obtain "precautionary" financing, just a week after he called "extremely stupid" a move by the EU executive to freeze regional funding as a sanction for his country's budget deficit.

Slovakia did not violate EU laws when it denied entry to then-Hungarian President László Sólyom in 2009 because such visits depend on the host country's consent, the European Court of Justice advocate general said in an opinion published yesterday (6 March).