MEPs debate with Johannes HAHN, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration and Mikuláš BEK, Czech Minister for European Affairs, the proposal to freeze funds for Hungary to protect the EU budget in view of breaches of theover rule of law concerns in the country. Extracts from the debate.

statement

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

IN 'T VELD, Sophia (Renew, NL)

EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights (T)

EU - Hungary (T)

HAHN, Johannes (AT, EC)

SARVAMAA, Petri (EPP, FI)

GARDIAZABAL RUBIAL, Eider (S&D, ES)

FREUND, Daniel (Greens/EFA, DE)

FEST, Nicolaus (ID, DE)

BEK, Mikuláš (CZ)

Commission proposal for measures under the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation in the case of Hungary: extracts from the debate

Title:  Commission proposal for measures under the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation in the case of Hungary: extracts from the debate (I-231104)

SOUNDBITE (English), Mikuláš BEK, Czech Minister for European Affairs, The Council welcomes the framework established by the Regulation on a general regime of conditionality for the Protection of the Union budget. As there is a clear link between respect for the rule of law and the efficient implementation of the EU budget in accordance with the principles of sound financial management.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mikuláš BEK, Czech Minister for European Affairs, Apart from discussions at the technical level, the EU ambassadors will discuss tomorrow the proposal for a second time. All elements are being thoroughly considered by Member States, including the remedial measures proposed by Hungary. The role of the Commission in this process is crucial. We trust the Commission's role as guardian of the Treaties. The Council counts on the Commission's exhaustive assessment of the situation to take a sound and well-informed decision.

SOUNDBITE (English), Johannes HAHN, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration, On the 18th of September, the Commission adopted the very first proposal for a Council implementing decision under the Conditionality Regulation. It proposed measures to the Council for the Protection of the Union Budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary. Taken together the proposal, the proposed remedial measures could in principle be capable of addressing the issues described in the notification.

SOUNDBITE (English), Johannes HAHN, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration, If, and I stress if, they are correctly specified in the relevant laws and rules and implemented accordingly. The Commission considers that the risk for the budget remains a reason for which the Commission proposed measures to the Council. Hence, the Commission proposed the suspension of 65% of the commitments for three operational programmes under cohesion policy. This amounts to an estimated amount of €7.5 billion, which means over a third of Hungary's cohesion envelope.

SOUNDBITE (English), Johannes HAHN, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration, Hungary has committed to fully inform the Commission about the implementation of the remedial measures by the 19th of November, as also outlined in the timeline published in our proposal. At that point, we will assess the situation again.

SOUNDBITE (English), Petri SARVAMAA (EPP, FI), My question to you, Commissioner, is how on earth are you going to assess that the changes Hungary makes will be enough to reduce the risk to the EU budget before we actually see any implementation on the ground?

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Eider GARDIAZABAL RUBIAL (S&D, ES), So we need to think about the mechanism. What is the ultimate aim of this mechanism? It's not to sanction a country is to make sure that the rule of law is implemented. These are European funds, European moneys that cannot be abused in this way. So in terms of Hungary, that position has to be clear. It's either rule of law and you apply it or freezing of funds.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sophia IN 'T VELD (Renew, NL), The Commission has been ducking application of the Regulation for two years almost, and now that you have to apply it, you're trying to reduce the scope to the bare minimum. For me, this is the key question. We gave you our vote of confidence in 2019. Your core duty is to uphold the treaties and enforce the law. And if the Commission bows to kleptocrats, you no longer deserve our confidence. Please Commissioner, prove me wrong.

SOUNDBITE (English), Daniel FREUND (Greens/EFA, DE), Dear colleagues, let me tell you why I fear that the Commission is actually not doing its duty. First, and the colleague has just said it, 7.5 billion is only 15% of the EU funds that Hungary receives, so the lion's share goes untouched and into a corrupt system.

SOUNDBITE (English), Daniel FREUND (Greens/EFA, DE), Second, if you look at the 17 measures that Orban now has to fulfil, it's actually impossible to monitor this over just a couple of weeks. So the Commission will end the procedure in December based on mere promises from Viktor Orban. And to count on Orban's words, after 12 years after time and again having been fooled by him, I think that's pretty ridiculous now to just trust his word and not his action.

SOUNDBITE (English), Daniel FREUND (Greens/EFA, DE), Third, the anti-corruption authority that is the central pillar of the reform has no power to prosecute. So it relies on a prosecutor that we know is politically controlled by Orban, that relies on courts where we know that they are politically controlled by Orban. Which brings me to the fourth point, which is in this conditionality procedure on the rule of law.

SOUNDBITE (English), Daniel FREUND (Greens/EFA, DE), It seems that the Commission has somehow forgotten the rule of law part, because there is not a single measure concerning the rule of law, the independence of justice.

SOUNDBITE (German), Nicolaus FEST (ID, DE), Hungary yet again, Hungary and the Commission. The Commission really doesn't want to do or can't do anything that it couldn't do against other countries. I mean, Germany, France, Spain, Malta, inter alia. What about rule of law in these countries? What about freedom of opinion it's under threat? The rule of law and the state governed by it is also under threat. And corruption is a problem in all of these countries I've just listed.

SOUNDBITE (German), Nicolaus FEST (ID, DE), But funnily enough, they don't have a problem with the Commission because they don't have a Conservative government. And it's only conservative governments that are actually taken to task by this Parliament and by the Commission, and they're the only ones that are threatened with an Article 7 procedure.