The EC has given Hungary the opportunity to answer its questions on the issue of the rule of law, Von der Leyen told MEPs in response to a question on the state of the rule of law in Hungary and Poland.

The commission has assessed Hungary’s answers “and our conclusion is we have to move on the next step”, she said.

The ruling of the European Court of Justice rejecting actions brought against the rule of law conditionality by Hungary and Poland “fully confirmed the approach followed by the commission”, Von der Leyen said.
 

Gulyás on EU Activating Rule of Law Mechanism

The prime minister's chief of staff on Tuesday said Brussels was making a mistake "by dancing to the Hungarian left-wing's whistle", in response to the EC's announcement on activating the rule-of-law conditionality against the country.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Strasbourg earlier on Tuesday that the EC has sent a notification to Hungary, the first step in activating the mechanism which links the payment of EU funds to the state of the rule of law.

In response, Gergely Gulyás said that the ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat (KDNP) alliance garnered nearly 2.9 million votes at Sunday’s general election.

Some 3.3 million people expressed agreement with the government’s stance on child protection in the referendum, he said.

Gulyás said that the turnout shows “unprecedented support” for the ruling parties and for the amendment to Hungary’s child protection law, which the European Union has called discriminatory against the LGBTQ community.

Justice Minister Judit Varga said the Hungarian government had received no formal notification of the vote by the College of Commissioners.

In a Facebook post, she said the Hungarian government was not interested in political statements and was waiting to receive a formal notification with concrete details to which Varga said the government would respond.