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MEPs vote to take Commission to court over €10.2 billion pay-off to Hungary
EPP members back move as final decision moves to EP Conference of Presidents to take EC to Court of Justice for having unblocked frozen funds to Hungary
12 March 2024, 7:46am
Matthew Vella
Matthew Vella
2 min read
Hungary prime minister Viktor Orban shakes hands with EC president Ursula von der Leyen
The European Parliament has taken the European Commission to court over the unfreezing of €10.2 billion in EU funds for Hungary.
The surprising move follows an unprecedented resolution in which the European Parliament had already warned it would take the Commission before the European Court of Justice over Brussels’ decision to prematurely release frozen EU funds for the Hungarian government.
Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen last December controversially unblocked EU funds for Hungary, which were frozen over corruption and rule-of-law concerns. Hungary had been blocking the European Union from approving a €50 billion aid package for Ukraine, even while conceding to have the EU officially open accession negotiations for Ukraine to join the bloc.
The decision to take the EC to the Court of Justice came in a closed-doors meeting on Monday evening by the EP’s legal affairs committee, to decide to sue the EU executive over the alleged breach of its obligation to protect taxpayer money from being misused. There were 16 votes in favour, and only one against, from a far-right member.
The move also carries the support of Von der Leyen’s own political group, the European People’s Party, whose leader Manfred Weber stressed the importance of defending the rule of law ahead of the June EU election.
“We believe we have a solid case, as the Commission has contradicted itself on whether Hungary is respecting the rule of law,” MEP Daniel Freund told Politico on Monday. “The Court of Justice of the EU has always stood up for the independence of the courts.”
Following the vote, it will be the Conference of Presidents that will have to agree to give President Roberta Metsola the go-ahead to take the EC to court before 25 March.
This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The action was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament's grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this action. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the action.
Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...
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