Hungary’s parliament on Monday approved the first anti-corruption measures in response to demands from the European Commission, which is blocking billions of euros in funds whose implementation depends on rule of law reforms.
According to the voting results on the official website of the Hungarian Parliament, two amendments were passed by a large majority.
Citizens will be allowed to file a complaint in court if they believe that the Public Prosecution Service has arbitrarily terminated a corruption investigation.
The second text aims to increase the transparency of the legislative process: it calls for better public debate, while most laws are now being ratified without prior consultation.
An “independent authority” will be established to better monitor the use of European Union (EU) funds, a measure to be adopted on Tuesday.
In September, the European Commission proposed to take €7.5 billion from Hungary and referred the matter to the highest level, that of the European Council, an institution that represents the bloc’s 27 member states.
The government of the ultra-conservative Viktor Orbán is accused by Brussels of taking measures that weaken the rule of law and accused of using European money to enrich those close to them.
Budapest pledged a total of 17 key measures, some of which were adopted by simple decree, to correct the “irregularities” and “deficiencies” in the public procurement procedures denounced by Brussels and to avoid conflicts of interest.
The Hungarian government hopes to escape a decision by the European Council and convince Brussels to approve its post-pandemic Covid-19 recovery plan (5.8 billion euros in grants), funds that the country, plagued by rising inflation, needs it more than ever.
Hungary is the only EU country whose recovery plan has not yet received the green light from the European Commission, for the same reasons related to respect for the rule of law.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) Transparency International, which ranks Hungary second in the EU in terms of corruption, said it was “skeptical” about the effectiveness of the measures, so “the system has been perverted” since Viktor Orbán returned to power in 2010.
Source: DN
