Brussels lecturing member states?

Addressing a debate in the European Parliament about the European Commission’s recent report on the state of the rule of law in member states, Hungarian MEPs spoke of “double standards” and “a democratic minimum issue” in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

Kinga Gál, an MEP for ruling Fidesz, said in her address that the double standards applied by the EC “are so apparent” that it “discredited” the rule-of-law related procedures and the report itself. She said Brussels was again “lecturing” member states in reports “dictated by civil organisations” according to their ideology instead of “reining in its own affairs first”.

Gál called it unfair that certain member states were facing “continued attacks on political grounds” while they were prevented from receiving the EU funding they were entitled to. She criticised the report over its “failure to include any word about the rule of law problems of the institutions of Brussels which are heavily charged with corruption scandals”. She called for addressing issues such as the “ins and outs of the scandalous vaccine contracts” and the “whereabouts of the monies missing in the EU budget”. Gál said it was time for European voters “to give a snappy response to these questions in the 2024 EP election”.

Addressing the debate, Katalin Cseh, an MEP for opposition Momentum, elaborated on Hungary’s recently adopted law on the career path of teachers. She called the law “a piece of legislation that has absolutely zero place in the European Union”. Cseh said the law in such a form did not concern education policy, but was “a democratic minimum, a rule of law” issue. She urged the EU institutions to demand that the Hungarian government “repeal this shameful law”.

Orban meets Croatian president

Prime Minister Viktor Orban had talks on Wednesday with Croatian President Zoran Milanovic during the break of the NATO summit in Vilnius, the PM’s press chief said in a statement. The two leaders discussed current issues connected with Hungary-Croatia bilateral relations, Bertalan Havasi, the deputy state secretary heading the Prime Minister’s Press Office, said.

Featured image: Ursula von der Leyen, chairwoman of the European Commission