26/08/2022 (Agence Europe) – Several Hungarian NGOs, including the Helsinki Committee and Amnesty International, have called on the Hungarian government to carry out genuine consultations on the proposed legislative changes to the laws governing the courts and to refer the matter to the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, according to a statement. “Civil rights advocates aim to ensure broad consultation on any changes to the justice system. Any meaningful debate requires that all interested professional stakeholders, in particular representatives of judges, relevant civil society organisations and members of the academic community conducting work related to the independence of the judiciary, be given sufficient time to become acquainted with the planned changes”. It is also “imperative that the government asks the Venice Commission for an opinion”. Link to letter: https://aeur.eu/f/2tw (SP)