• Home
• Channel: Current Affairs
• Opinion: EP Demands Rule of Law Action Against Hungary

Opinion: EP Demands Rule of Law Action Against Hungary

• 1 Sep 2021 8:07 AM
• BudaPost

A left-wing commentator thinks that the European Commission’s reluctance to withhold funds from the Hungarian government despite the demands of the European Parliament will have huge repercussions on the future of the EU.

Népszava’s Róbert Friss wonders why the European Commission is hesitating to use its power and withhold EU funds from Hungary.

The left-wing commentator recalls that last week, the European Commission dismissed the European Parliament’s call to initiate the rule of law procedure against Hungary, on the grounds that the MEPs did not deliver proper evidence of infringement. In their response, MEPs who urged the EC to launch the mechanism threatened to sue the EC  for lack of action.

Friss thinks that the European Commission’s ambivalence could be explained either by slow bureaucracy or the EC’s strategy to keep the Hungarian government under pressure by sustaining the threat of withholding funds.

Either way, the skirmish between the elected MEPs and the executive arm will impact the future of power sharing in the EU – and the future of the European Union as a whole, he suggests.

This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher.

Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online. 

Click here to Share Your Story

• How does this content make you feel?
• I love it
• I like it
• I dislike it

• Opinion European Parliament European Commission

XpatLoop Media Partner

BudaPost

Launched in May 2011 to provide a balanced picture of matters covered in Hungary’s national press. Their aim is to make it easier for English-speakers to understand where this country is now and where it’s heading according to the full spectrum of media opinions.

Explore More Reports

Hungary Vetoes EU Higher Education Strategy

• 28 Nov 2025 8:07 AM

Hungary has vetoed the European Union's four-year higher education strategy, Balazs Hanko, the minister of culture and innovation, said in Brussels on Thursday, adding that Hungary made clear that only once Hungarian students are restored their rightful access to the Erasmus programme will Hungary approve the higher education strategy.



EC Still Shares Concerns that Triggered Article 7 Procedure Against Hungary, Says EU Commissioner

• 25 Nov 2025 7:20 AM

The European Commission continues to share many of the concerns expressed by the European Parliament in its 2018 reasoned proposal triggering the Article 7 procedure against Hungary, the European Commissioner for democracy, justice and the rule of law said in Strasbourg.



Orbán: Budapest Peace Summit on the Horizon

• 24 Nov 2025 7:07 AM

Hungary's prime minister has said that a Budapest peace summit was on the horizon and the next 2-3 weeks would now prove "decisive", now that the existence of the 28-point peace plan had been confirmed.



Updated: Why Budapest for US + Russia Peace Summit?

• 23 Oct 2025 6:59 AM

The United States has not cancelled the peace summit with Russia planned for Budapest, the timing alone is questionable, but preparations against fake news are still underway, said Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, following his meeting with his American counterpart in Washington on Wednesday 22 October.