Hungary gov’t to submit judicial bill to parliament to unlock EU funds: minister
After talks with the European Commission, Hungary’s government will submit a key judicial reform bill to parliament as part of its efforts to unlock suspended EU funds, Justice Minister Judit Varga said on her official Facebook page on Thursday.
“We have the green light from Brussels,” Varga said, adding that based on notification from the European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, the government would submit the bill to parliament now.
Hungary could receive some EUR 5.8 billion in free grants and a further EUR 9.6 billion in cheap loans from the EU, but the bloc has suspended any payments until Budapest’s nationalist government implements reforms to improve judicial independence and tackle corruption.
The judicial package has been considered an important milestone in the process to access the funds, which Hungary needs as its economy is stagnating and inflation running above 25 percent.
Hungary and Poland are the EU’s only member states lagging behind in getting the funds, amid long-standing criticism from the Commission that their governments are damaging democracy and the rule of law.
In February, Hungary’s EU negotiator said ironing out remaining issues with Brussels over democratic reforms needed to win the recovery funds could last until the summer.
In more than a decade in power, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has had many bitter run-ins with the EU and its executive arm, the European Commission, over Budapest restricting the rights of migrants, as well as tightening state controls over non-governmental organizations, academics, media, and courts.
