The president of the European Commission defended the EU commissioner, whose resignation is being demanded by the Hungarian government

What was said today?

At the event, the spokesperson also announced that tomorrow Wednesday, the eve of the EU summit, the first report on the rule of law in all member states will be published, revealing the Commission’s assessment of the situation of Hungarian democracy. and the rule of law.

Journalists have repeatedly asked the spokesperson if Vera Jourová (pictured above) in her interview last Friday expressed her private opinion on when she mentioned sick democracy in relation to Hungary, but the spokeswoman only reiterated that Jourová would stand in front of the cameras tomorrow. and publishes the material and everything is revealed from it.

The spokesperson claimed that Ursula von der Leyen She works closely with Vera Jourová, Commissioner for Securities and Transparency, Vice-President of the Commission, and has “full confidence” in her.

How do we get here?

In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel last Friday, Jourová used the word “sick” (which means sick in English, the term “krank” appeared in the interview, which also means sick in German) on the subject of democracy antiliberal, and accused him of Due to relations with the Hungarian media, many people cannot form an opinion for themselves, because there is hardly any criticism in the official press.

Jourová has been working with another EU Commissioner on the report on the rule of law covering all Member States in 4 categories (independence of the judiciary, checks and balances, media relations, fight against corruption) for months, so it is no coincidence that the Hungarian government pays special attention to it.

However, Jourová’s unusually strong criticisms and expressions last Friday sparked more violent reactions from the Hungarian government than ever.

Earlier Monday, Justice Minister Judit Varga asked the EU Commissioner to resign immediately because she said she had violated the Hungarian people and EU law, which requires impartiality from EU Commissioners in all situations.

Then, with the same arguments, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also wrote a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, Jourová’s boss. In it, Orbán stated that “the statements of the Commissioner are incompatible with her position on commission, so her resignation is essential. Until this happens, the Hungarian government will suspend bilateral political relations with Vera Jourova. “(This last sentence left the door open before continuing professional cooperation in the background).

By the way, the debate on the rule of law and the link between EU payments is also under way, in which the German Presidency yesterday raised the proposed system of conditions and sanctions. It has become a watered-down version of the Commission’s earlier ideas, which both von der Leyen and Jourová can experience as a coup.

Therefore, the unusually strong reaction from the Hungarian government may even be due to the fact that the Commission has weakened the case and, since it knows that the Commission’s report on Hungary will be highly critical, it will be a “preventive communication coup” (which can be repeated at home for weeks). ) about Jourová’s insulting statements. In reference to these, she demands her resignation, but this is unlikely to happen, mainly because von der Leyen has already strongly defended her through her spokesman.

Recently, Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan was forced to resign because he had violated various epidemiological quarantine rules in his home country (Ireland) and because his situation was unprotected, even his own sending government asked him to resign and von der Leyen did not defend him. Because of this, Hogan couldn’t do anything but quit. However, Jourová’s situation is different, a pre-launch material in the wake of the attacks, and her boss has already defended her.

Cover Image Source: Dursun Aydemir / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images