The European Parliament (EP) has quietly abandoned its intention to force the European Commission to take action on the rule of law, Politico news portal reported - read in Magyar Hírlap.

The decision was made after Brussels threatened Hungary with the withdrawal of EU budget support, but the EP considered that the case was based on very weak legal grounds.

Back in May, the European Parliament launched a lawsuit against the European Commission, in which it wanted to force the body to reduce subsidies to member countries such as Hungary, Poland and Bulgaria, which were accused of not taking action against corruption or of undermining the independent judiciary.

The withdrawal is due to two developments. First, Parliament's own legal service considered the case to be on weak legal grounds. Second, the Commission, yielding to pressure from Parliament and civil rights groups, agreed in April to launch its so-called rule of law mechanism against Hungary, reports Politico.

Weeks later, however, the leaders of the EP decided to withdraw the case. A spokesperson for the parliament confirmed that the case was discussed and finally dropped in May. "The broad majority of faction leaders supported Parliament withdrawing legal proceedings against the Commission and tasked the President to withdraw the case," the spokesperson said in a statement. "On May 18, 2022, the European Parliament informed the Court of Auditors that it intends to terminate the claim".

An agreement was reached between the European Commission and Poland in June on a schedule containing reforms, after the implementation of which Warsaw can receive the resources of the recovery fund. No such agreement has yet been reached with Hungary.

In the case of Hungary, the final decision on whether regular EU budget funds will be cut will be made by the member governments themselves. Although the Commission can initiate the rule of law procedure, a qualified majority of the Council of Europe is also required here. The support of at least 55 percent of the EU countries is required for the board to approve the budget reduction.

Source: Magyar Hírlap

Image Source: MTI/EPA