“The Commission will not fail” in defending the rule of law, asserted Commissioner Michael McGrath. As part of the Structured Dialogue for the evaluation of the Commission’s work programme, MEPs from the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) held talks with the Commissioner on Wednesday 4 June.
Responsible for Justice and Consumer Protection, but also for the rule of law, Mr McGrath was challenged on this point in relation to the actions of the Hungarian President, Viktor Orbán, in his country.
Responding to Dutch MEP Tineke Strik (Greens/EFA), Michael McGrath referred to the tools activated by the Commission, including the Article 7 procedure and the conditionality mechanism.
He confirmed that the Commission was closely monitoring the Hungarian draft law on the transparency of public life, which had been criticised by several Member States, and said that he had asked the government to withdraw the text, failing which measures could be envisaged.
With regard to the ban on the next ‘Pride March’ in Budapest, scheduled for 28 June, following the adoption on 18 March of a draft law (see EUROPE 13613/13) which prompted the Commission to bring an action before the Court of Justice of the EU - the Advocate General’s opinion is expected on 5 June - Mr McGrath said: “The right to demonstrate, the right to be who we want to be [...] are the very basis of our principles of equality. [...] The Commission is ready to use all the necessary tools, including infringement proceedings against the Member States”.
At a new Council hearing on Hungary on 27 May, the Commissioner reiterated the need to strengthen the link between the rule of law and access to European funds under the future Multiannual Financial Framework (see EUROPE 13649/1).
Faced with criticism from the radical or extreme right - Jorge Buxadé Villalba (PfE, Spanish), for example, spoke of a “woke” stance - Michael McGrath assured the audience that the Commission was acting “independently, objectively and consistently” on the basis of the Treaties.
He went on to stress the role of the annual report on the rule of law as a driver for reform, “particularly in terms of the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption and fraud”. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)