"Tamara Capeta, the advocate general of the European court of justice, said on Thursday the commission should not have paid out the funds because Hungary had not actually carried out the judicial reforms that were a condition for their release. Capeta said the commission had failed to properly assess the reforms to Hungary's judicial system and had incorrectly applied the requirements on Hungary when it permitted, without any explanation, the disbursement of the budget."
"The commission suspended payment of funds to the populist, illiberal government of the prime minister, Viktor Orban, in 2022 over concerns about democratic backsliding, arguing it was failing to tackle corruption and ensure judicial independence. A year later, it concluded Hungary had made sufficient changes to meet the requirements for the money to be released and lifted the suspension, making the country eligible to receive about 10bn from various EU funds."
The EU advocate general recommended annulling the Commission’s decision to unfreeze billions in payments to Hungary because the required judicial reforms were not actually carried out. The Commission suspended funds in 2022 over concerns of democratic backsliding, corruption, and threats to judicial independence, then lifted the suspension a year later, making Hungary eligible for about €10bn. The European Parliament filed a 2024 complaint alleging manifest errors and political motivation tied to a summit requiring Viktor Orban’s support for Ukraine. The advocate general found the Commission lacked proper assessment and transparency; the court’s final ruling is expected in coming months.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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