What is the Hungarian government doing to comply with the EU?

The Hungarian government has made concessions to the European Union. This was necessary in order for Hungary to receive EU funds. However, it is not known what the Hungarian government is committing to. The package of measures was sent to the European Commission on 22 August. According to experts, the reason for the silence is that the Hungarian government has been forced to make serious concessions.

Response letter to the European Commission

On 23 August, Judit Varga, the Minister of Justice, announced on her Facebook page that the government had sent a letter of response to the European Commission. In it, they describe what measures they would take to address EU concerns about the rule of law and corruption. The Hungarian government was given a final month at the end of July to propose measures to protect the rule of law. The justice minister posted minutes after the deadline that a response had been sent to Brussels. “The Hungarian government has put a comprehensive package of measures on the table with the aim of addressing all the concerns of the committee,” Varga wrote.

Before sending the letter, the Hungarian government held lengthy consultations with the EU. In one month, the Orbán government held ten video conferences and several meetings with the European Commission. More than a hundred drafts were discussed and negotiated.

No specifics

However, Judit Varga’s post does not say what exactly was agreed on between the two parties. Not only the Minister of Justice but also Tibor Navracsics was not forthcoming on the matter. According to the Regional Development Minister, “The government has made concrete commitments on all outstanding issues”. Gergely Gulyás, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, also revealed some details. According to Gulyás, Fidesz is willing to amend more than ten laws.