The European Commission will do everything it can to protect the rule of law and European values, and will use all means against member states if they violate European law, the Justice Commissioner of the European Commission stated in Brussels on Wednesday.

Didier Reynders stated in the debate on the European Commission's 2021 rule of law report at the plenary session of the European Parliament: the report is an important tool in the hands of the European Union, it contributes to the realization of the most important common goals.

In his opinion, the report has a real impact, as it promotes member states' reforms and ensures dialogue between member states and EU institutions. In addition, the report's country-specific recommendations provide important information about the real situation in each country, he said.

The commissioner announced that this year's report will be published by the board in July, and will also formulate special recommendations for all member states. It examines the current state of the rule of law in each member state, shows the extent to which last year's recommendations have been implemented, and whether there is any improvement in this area.

Reynders highlighted that

"The European Commission recently addressed Hungary in writing, which included proposals to guarantee the safety of journalists, and the body asked for the protection of human rights activists. Hungary's response will be analyzed from Thursday."

The European Commission uses all the tools at its disposal against those member states that violate European law, and does not shy away from even imposing daily fines, added the EU Commissioner.

Slander campaign against Hungary and Poland

Gál Kinga, Fidesz's representative in the European Parliament (EP), stated in the debate that the European left has been using the concept of the rule of law for years to wage a political smear campaign against Hungary and Poland. One of the main tools for this is the European Commission's annual report on the rule of law, he underlined.

The report would be intended for an impartial evaluation of the member states, but

"in reality it applies a gross double standard."

The contents of the report are not based on facts, but on the biased opinions of pseudo-civilian organizations that serve to exert political pressure, he declared. The Hungarian representative emphasized that the EU body is actually demanding its own ideological expectations from the democratically elected governments. And the European Parliament supports this and demands sanctions in order to put pressure on Hungary either in relation to migration or child protection, he pointed out.

"The Hungarian people made it clear a month ago: they don't want to be ideologically educated by Brussels. It would be time to notice that such politically biased reports do not serve the interests of Europe, but destroy European cooperation," Kinga Gál added.

Dobrev wants the EC to finally act

Klára Dobrev, the EP representative of the Democratic Coalition (DK), said in her speech that the ultimate goal of dismantling the rule of law in Hungary is the theft of taxpayers' money from the European Union. In his opinion, the aim is also to steal public funds and accumulate private assets, limit the independent press, and occupy the Constitutional Court and the prosecutor's office. Addressing the European Commission, he called on the body to stop fruitless debates and to act and achieve results.

Anna Donáth, the EP representative of the Momentum Movement, stated in her speech: the Hungarian people should not be punished for the crimes of their government. EU support should be withdrawn from the government, not from Hungarian society, he said.

He stated: a direct link must be established between the rule of law report and the rule of law mechanism aimed at protecting the EU budget. A rule of law index should be introduced, which evaluates the situation of the rule of law in each member state. In the report on the rule of law, a separate chapter should be opened on the situation of civil society, because, as he said, the destruction of the rule of law usually begins with government action against civilians.

( Weeks / MTI)

Photo: European Parliament