EU Parliament Suspends Anti-Corruption Talks During Hungary’s Council Presidency

Strasbourg (Eurotoday) – The European Parliament postponed Anti-Corruption Directive trilogues, citing concerns over Hungary’s corruption and democratic standards.

The European Parliament’s negotiators on the Anti-Corruption Directive chose to delay trilogues with the European Council on the Directive until the start of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council, beginning from 1 January 2025.

The EU Parliament‘s lead rapporteur from Renew Group, Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle together with the majority of shadow negotiators from the other political parties, voiced deep concern regarding Hungary’s systematic corruption and deterioration of democratic standards under its current government and strongly challenged the Hungarian Presidency of the Council’s ability to lead unbiased debates on corruption.

What concerns did MEP García Hermida raise about Hungary?

In her remarks, Spanish-Dutch MEP Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle described the decision: “This Hungarian government cannot be in the driver’s chair on the Anti-Corruption Directive. It would be like debating the fences of the hen pen with the fox himself. The Fidesz government’s history of eroding the rule of law, widespread state corruption and cronyism, and lack of transparency severely damage its credibility in leading negotiations on this Directive designed to strengthen anti-corruption measures in the EU.”

She further stressed that while Renew Europe remains determined to advance the fight against corruption and promote democratic accountability within the EU, “we cannot turn a blind eye to the apparent contradictions posed by Hungary’s Presidency in this critical context.”

“The integrity and credibility of all EU institutions and this crucial piece of legislation must remain intact. Therefore, with the Polish Presidency less than a month away, it is in the best interest of our Union and our citizens to wait until then to start the talks with Council on the Directive”, García Hermida-Van Der Walle added.