The European Union initiated legal proceedings against Hungary's right-wing government on Wednesday, granting authorities the ability to probe and bring charges against those alleged to have undermined the nation's sovereignty.
Bulgaria's Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban talk before a roundtable session on the second and last day of a European Union summit, at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on October 27, 2023. EU leaders called for "humanitarian corridors and pauses" in Israel's war with Hamas to get aid into Gaza, after hours of negotiations at a summit of the bloc in Brussels.
Per The Associated Press, the "Sovereignty Protection Act" created a government entity with the authority to collect information on groups or individuals benefiting from foreign funding and influencing public discourse. The law took effect in December and permits Hungary's intelligence services to collaborate in the investigations led by this authority.
The law allows prison terms of up to three years for anyone convicted of violating it. Opponents compare the act to Russia's "foreign agent" law. They say its broad language arbitrarily targets government critics.
The notice represents the latest salvo in a long-running battle between Brussels and Budapest.
The commission, which is the EU's executive branch, blocked substantial amounts of money from Hungary in 2022 out of concern that democratic backsliding by Orban's government could put the bloc's common budget at risk.
What's Next For Hungary?
The European Commission, which monitors the application of legislation across the 27 EU member countries, said Hungary's measure "violates several provisions" of the bloc's law and sent a letter of formal notice to Budapest, the first step in legal action.
The commission raised alarms over the law, stating it endangers EU democratic values, democracy itself, and the rights of European citizens, such as privacy, data protection, freedom of expression, and association.
CNBC reported the European Commission declared that Hungary's new law, aimed at "protecting national sovereignty," breaks European Union rules. The ruling Fidesz party argued the law is needed to prevent foreign political interference.
"The setup of a new authority with wide-ranging powers and a strict regime of monitoring, enforcement, and sanctioning also risks serious harm to democracy," a Commission spokesperson said.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán continues to clash with the European Union. For months, Orbán assured NATO counterparts that Hungary would not be the last to sign off on Sweden's membership. However, Orbán went back on his word when Turkey ratified the Swedish bid last month, leaving Hungary as the main obstacle.
Hungary has two months to respond to the letter and address the commission's concerns.
