ECJ: Hungary’s rules on recognising foreign court decisions fall foul of EU law

Brussels, June 9 (MTI) – Hungarian rules on how criminal court sentences in other European Union members are recognised do not conform to EU law, the European Court of Justice ruled on Thursday.

The decision follows the case of a Hungarian man arrested and sentenced in Austria for burglary. The Austrian authorities sent documents concerning the case to Hungary. The Hungarian authorities do not recognise such sentences unless the documents are translated into Hungarian. The Hungarian court raised the question as to whether the court or the defendant should pay for the cost of translation.

The European court said sentences passed in one country should be recognised on basis of the information shared under the European criminal record information system (ECRIS) in another. The court added that Hungary’s procedures contradicted the European principle under which court decisions are mutually recognised among EU members. Recognition of a court decision passed in one member cannot be conditional on a special procedure in another member state, the ruling said.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters