Brussels, 29/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - One swallow does not a summer make. In Brussels on Tuesday morning, the Council of Europe (CoE) welcomed efforts by the Hungarian government to comply with the Council of Europe recommendations. CoE Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland said that all the work assigned had been completed. Earlier that same day, he said, he had received assurances from Budapest on the powers of the president of the National Justice Office (NJO) and contested media law. The reforms had been demanded of the Hungarian government headed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban earlier this month by the European Commission and the Council of Europe. The latter's Venice Commission had been asked to submit reports on the media law and the changes to the judicial system, including the highly controversial alterations in judges' retirement age (reduced to 62 from the previous 70). The changes to the retirement age were annulled last year by the Hungarian supreme court.
Like the European institutions, the Council of Europe criticised the Hungarian government for excessive politicisation of the justice system and giving too much power to the woman heading the NJO. Under the changes promised by Budapest, said Jagland, the NJO head would not be able to have more than a single term of office and would now not remain automatically in place until a successor has been elected. The country's national council of judges would be able to veto some NJO decisions, and it would now be possible to appeal to various courts, including the constitutional court, over the appointment of judges.
The Council of Europe welcomed progress on the media law, for instance, the head of the national media authority and the head of the media council - one and the same person, stated Jagland - would now be appointed by the president of Hungary, rather than the prime minister, who will simply make a recommendation. This new media chief would have a single, non-renewable, term-of-office of nine years and there would be more transparency in his or her appointment, with NGOs being involved and a number of critieria to be filled on professional qualities. The references to “objective, factual and complete” information would be removed from the law.
Hungary has not yet been fully absolved, however, because a number of questions are still pending despite the progress, questions like the fate of judges pensioned off from January 2012 onwards. The Council of Europe and the European Commission want the new law to clearly stipulate their return to office, but Jagland said the current NJO makes that difficult. Last week, Hungary sent the European Commission a new draft law reducing the retirement age for judges to 65 in ten years time. The Commission will closely examine the draft law, adding that one of the key sticking points preventing the return of smooth relations with Hungary is the question of judges removed from office by the 2012 law returning to their jobs without any problems. (SP/transl.fl)