EU Begins Legal Action Against Hungary's 'Sovereignty' Law

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Facts

  • The European Commission sent a formal notice to Hungary on Wednesday, the first legal step in what could become a lawsuit in the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), informing that recently enacted legislation on 'protecting national sovereignty' allegedly violates the bloc's democratic values and fundamental rights.1
  • This comes as Hungary's Sovereignty Protection Act established a new office to investigate foreign-funded organizations that may influence elections and conduct activities likely to violate or jeopardize the sovereignty of the country while criminalizing the acceptance of foreign campaign donations.2
  • The Sovereignty Protection Office can ask national intelligence agencies to provide information on individuals or organizations without judicial oversight — prompting the European Commission to consider that, among other things, the right to protection of personal data would be threatened.3
  • A spokesperson for the Hungarian government defended the law in a post on Facebook, writing that Brussels filed the complaint because the law seeks to stop foreign influence via Hungarian-born billionaire George Soros, who has for years clashed with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.4
  • The Soros-linked Open Society Foundation and Central European University left the country in 2018 under threat of legal action and intense political pressure, with the CJEU ruling the ouster of the university illegal two years later.5
  • Hungary has two months to respond to the letter and address the concerns. Otherwise, the commission can send a so-called 'reasoned opinion' formally demanding Budapest comply with EU law.6

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2The Budapest Times, 3Guardian, 4Financial Times, 5New York Times and 6POLITICO.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Reuters.com. Hungary has long clashed with EU laws and values, namely freedom of expression and the establishment of an independent judiciary. This law deserves the highest level of scrutiny, as it will likely be used to monitor and suppress Hungarian citizens and businesses who don't toe the party line. The EU will be forced to step in and protect them if Hungary continues to move toward undemocratic policies.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Europeanconservative. Hungary seems to be operating under a double standard, as the EU never punishes Western countries, even when they commit egregious human rights violations. Other countries seem to go unscathed because they're willing to comply in addition to claiming to have similar views on certain issues, including gender ideology, immigration, and war. The EU should stay out of Hungary's business.