"We did everything to reach an agreement," said Justice Minister Judit Varga.Continue reading
According to Commissioner Didier Reynders, the EU continues to have concerns about the state of the rule of law in Hungary. The Commission is open to dialogue, he says.
If the European Commission reaches an agreement with Hungary on a recovery plan, it will be very important that the reform measures proposed by the Hungarian government are implemented effectively and vigorously, EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said after the meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels on Friday.
According to the Belgian official, the EU continues to have concerns about the independence of the Hungarian judiciary and it is important that the Hungarian government addresses this area.
He said that his talks with Justice Minister Judit Varga on this issue had been very constructive and that they had “made the most of their discussions to protect the Hungarian judiciary free from political influence”.
There are still quite significant concerns in a number of areas of the rule of law. However, it is important to keep the channels of communication open,
he stressed.
Czech EU Affairs Minister Mikulás Bek, representing the Czech EU presidency, said that the hearing showed that some member states believe that progress has been made in Hungary, but other member states maintain their concerns.
Ahead of the Council meeting on Friday, Judit Varga told journalists that “Hungary has done its utmost to reach an agreement with the European Commission in order to meet the seventeen commitments previously negotiated to allow the release of EU funds by the deadline”.
The European Commission gave Hungary until Saturday – 19 November – to enact the 17 measures set out by the Brussels body. Then, the Commission will give its assessment, with November 30 now the likely date, according to Politico.
Hungary will once again be on the European Parliament‘s agenda later today under the title “State of play in the negotiations between the Commission and the Hungarian government”. Commissioner Reynders will also address the plenary debate.
Featured photo via the European Council