Socialists: Significant progress made at expert-level consultation on anti-terror bill

Budapest, April 13 (MTI) – Although significant progress was made at the consultation held by experts on the government-proposed anti-terrorism action plan on Wednesday, the opposition Socialist Party still refuses to support the bill in its present form, a lawmaker of the party said.

The consultation held in the interior ministry followed five-party talks held on the package on Tuesday.

The Socialists welcome that as a result of Wednesday’s talks the provision which would have made telecommunications service providers punishable for encrypting data has been removed from the bill overall, Zsolt Molnár, the head of parliament’s national security committee, told MTI.

But the party still rejects the provisions on the powers planned to be granted to a newly-established counter-terrorism information and criminal investigation centre, Molnar said.

The Socialists now are waiting to see the full written proposal the interior ministry is expected to submit within the next couple of days to parliament, as well as the position of the head of Hungary’s data protection authority, he said.

Photo: MTI

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