Foreign
THE European Union (EU), could initiate proceedings to cut funds to Hungary immediately, according to an expert opinion from three law professors.
The report commissioned by several members of the European Parliament was due to be officially presented on Wednesday at a news conference in Strasbourg.
According to the expert opinion, rule-of-law violations in the country threatened to seriously undermine the protection of the EU’s financial interests.
This would meet the requirement for proceedings to start.
The law professors specifically see a lack of transparency in Hungary over the management of EU funds and the absence of an effective national law enforcement agency to investigate and prosecute fraud.
In their view, there was also no effective judicial review from independent courts of the acts or omissions of authorities dealing with the bloc’s financial interests.
The study provided a legal basis for a sanctions procedure, according to German Green party politician Daniel Freund, one of the MEP’s who commissioned the opinion.
The EU Commission only needs to put it in an envelope and send it to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, he said.
The preconditions for funding cuts have been exceeded, according to Freund.
According to Freund, Professor Kim Scheppele of Princeton University and Professors Daniel Kelemen of Rutgers University and John Morijn of Groningen University were involved in the report. (dpa/NAN)
– July 7, 2021 @ 10:29 GMT |
Tags: EU to start process of cutting funds to Hungary
