During their three-day visit to Budapest, MEPs hear from civil society organisations working in the field of the protection of the rule of law, equal treatment, and minority and social rights. They also meet journalists and representatives of outlets covering the whole media spectrum, as well as representatives from organisations working to defend press freedom. Statements following their participation to the meeting with the delegations by Marta Pardavi, Co-Chair, Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Peter Törcsi, Director of the Center for Fundamental rights, Jozsef Peter Martin, Executive Director, Transparency International Hungary, Katalin VIG-MAJOR, Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta and Maria Kristofy, Hungarian LGBT Alliance.

meeting

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

EP delegation

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

EU - Hungary (T)

EP LIBE delegation to Hungary, Budapest: meeting with NGOs representatives and statements of panel participants

European Parliament Liaison Office in Budapest

Meeting room - Views of one of the meeting with NGOs (29/09/2021).

SOUNDBITE (English), Marta PARDAVI, Co-Chair, Hungarian Helsinki Committee, We're happy to see that the European Parliament has come to Hungary to visit and to assess the state of fundamental rights and rule of law. In the past three years, since the adoption of the report by the European Parliament on Hungary, things have actually gotten worse on all fronts. When it comes to civic space and the ability of civil society to do its work, including provide assistance to monitor government action, hold the government accountable, and to advocate for better human rights protection, things have seriously worsened.

SOUNDBITE (English), Marta PARDAVI, Co-Chair, Hungarian Helsinki Committee, There is ongoing propaganda campaigns against civil society organisations carrying out independent work. Overall, the situation is deteriorating. The European Parliament has a big role to highlight this, to follow up on its report from three years and to call on the Hungarian government to enact certain measures, to strengthen rule of law and fundamental rights protection in Hungary.

SOUNDBITE (English), Peter T&#214;RCSI, Director Center for Fundamental rights, I think it's always a good thing to have discussions with politicians and officials of the European Union, because my position is that these debates which are between the European Union institutions and the Hungarian government, are basically not legal debates. They are debates of different, world views.

SOUNDBITE (English), Peter T&Ouml;RCSI, Director Center for Fundamental rights, Unfortunately, the outcome (of the discussion), is not always that there is a compromise. Our experience was in the recent years that despite the discussions and debates with the European Union institutions, they didn&rsquo;t always understand the position of the Hungarian conservative government and certain Hungarian conservative NGOs. But I hope it's going to be different, uh, this day. And, uh, we can achieve, uh, an understanding with the members.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jozsef Peter MARTIN, Executive Director, Transparency International Hungary, Corruption has become top down and very, very centralised in Hungary. There are lots of systems, lots of money re-distribution systems which have been rigged in order to funnel public money to to cronies and to loyalists of the government. I think that all the exchanges of views is necessary in order to to to tackle corruption in this country. And I hope from this visit that the awarness of the MEP will be even bigger about about the Hungarian situation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jozsef Peter MARTIN, Executive Director, Transparency International Hungary, We talked, amongst other issues, about the rule of law backsliding and also about the problems with the anti-corruption framework here in the country.

SOUNDBITE (Hungarian), Katalin VIG-MAJOR, Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta, Basically, I came here to tell you that this is a program that now seeks to provide basic social accompaniment community development, health development, employment energy housing for the most disadvantaged residents of the most difficult situation for families so that this is a programme of this size and magnitude.

SOUNDBITE (Hungarian), Katalin VIG-MAJOR, Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta, We are here and thank you very much for the opportunity to say that we are counting on the Hungarian government but also on European Union funds because there is a problem of such magnitude now in these settlements. There are 300 municipalities where both adults and children need very serious support in employment in early childhood support.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maria KRISTOFY, Hungarian LGBT Alliance, Actually, in the last 10 years, it's worse and worse, and now in the last one and a half years, there are many, many new laws discriminating LGBT population.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maria KRISTOFY, Hungarian LGBT Alliance, Actually, we worked for this community in Hungary  but not with a big success. And we hope that the Europe the European Union help us to with our problems to tell the Hungarian government that it isn't OK and perhaps it can be a success.