Index – Foreign – European Commission Vice President threatens to withdraw money from Hungarian government

The Heads of State and Government have provided us with a very strong tool in support of the rule of law regulation, which has been in place since January 1 and we can apply it, so that we can “lock in a lot of money” in the big Hungarian public investment payments, reported the Austrian Der Standard. interview with the vice-president of the European Commission. Věra Jourová added:

we must always fight for the rule of law, freedom and democracy. The regulation is in force from January 1 and can be applied. We have a clear legal competence as described by the Heads of Government.

The document notes that, despite the Hungarian and Polish governments trying to buy time by bringing the text of the regulation on the rule of law to the Court of Justice of the European Union in February, the Commission will not hesitate to suspend payments to the budget of the EU if the governments of Hungary or Poland do not allow it. in contentious matters.

According to the article, the situation of the judiciary, the media and the rights of minorities in Hungary has caused problems with the rule of law, while in Poland the Commission sees an all-out attack on the judiciary. According to Jourova, these eventually led to rule-of-law procedures under Article 7, which he said had been unsuccessful for years, as suspending voting rights would require a unanimous decision between member states, but the two governments did. they would protect each other in such a vote.

According to Jourová, therefore, these procedures are frustrating and useless. According to the Vice President, there are no effective tools for these cases in the EU toolbox. But he said that

When asked by journalists exactly what EU money the Commission could limit, he replied as follows:

for example, payments could be made for large public investment projects in Hungary or Poland if the Council of Ministers approves the sanctions.