Socialists call for Hungary to join European Public Prosecutor’s Office

The opposition Socialists called on the government to have Hungary join the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), an MEP of the party said on Thursday.

István Újhelyi told a press conference that the party backed Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony’s five-question referendum bid, where one question pertains to the country joining the EPPO.

Újhelyi accused Prime Minister Viktor Orbán “and his regime” of “shunning the EPPO and all independent organisations that could reveal their dirty tricks”.

“Only those with something to fear run from the authorities,” he said.

The European Union has regularly criticised Hungary for spending funding on goals other than what they were originally allocated to, Újhelyi said.

The EU has recently raised the possibility of freezing funding for Hungary, “not specifically because of the homophobic law or the harassment of the Central European University, or rule of law considerations … but because of corruption, the frequency with which EU resources are misused, and the links of those cases to top political circles,” he said.

If elected in the general elections next spring, an opposition government would immediately join the EPPO, Újhelyi said.

Read alsoThe European Public Prosecutor’s Office to operate without Hungary?

Source: MTI