The European Commission has announced it is taking the first step in legal action against Hungary over a new law that it says violates the principle of democracy, upping tensions with Budapest as the continent enters a fraught election season.
The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has for years clashed with Brussels over democratic norms. In recent months the relationship has further soured amid concerns that an increasingly isolated Hungarian government is pursuing a Russia-friendly foreign policy and undermining western unity.
While Budapest has argued it is carrying out reforms in line with EU requests, critics say Orbán is moving to further consolidate his power at home.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The European Commission has announced it is taking the first step in legal action against Hungary over a new law that it says violates the principle of democracy, upping tensions with Budapest as the continent enters a fraught election season.
In recent months the relationship has further soured amid concerns that an increasingly isolated Hungarian government is pursuing a Russia-friendly foreign policy and undermining western unity.
The new office, which is led by a figure with close links to the ruling Fidesz party, can ask Hungary’s intelligence services for information on individuals and organisations, all without judicial oversight.
The move comes at a tense moment in Brussels’ complex relationship with Budapest, as a portion of Hungary’s EU funding remains frozen over rule of law concerns and as the bloc prepares for elections to the European parliament in June.
Independent Hungarian media outlets have warned that the law is “capable of severely restricting the freedom of the press”, while leading civil society groups have cautioned it is “part of the government’s attempt to silence all critical voices”.
In an interview with the Guardian last month, the US ambassador in Budapest, David Pressman, said the creation of the new sovereignty protection office represented “a serious step backwards in Hungary’s democracy”.
The original article contains 418 words, the summary contains 208 words. Saved 50%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
