EU Affairs Minister János Bóka said European Union member states agreed at a meeting of EU affairs ministers on Tuesday that the standards of the EU’s conditionality procedure regarding the rule of law should be clearer and more transparent.
According to MTI, Bóka said the ministers had backed a proposal, “which Hungary has tabled several times”, that the Court of Justice of the European Union should engage in “structured dialogue” with member states’ constitutional courts when making declarations on general standards of the rule of law. “Standards of the rule of law are shaped in member states, not at an EU level,” he said. The EU treaties currently ensure sufficient tools for the EU to handle issues on the rule of law, Bóka said. He noted that the meeting tabled expanding the dialogue on the rule of law to issues such as disinformation, “but many felt the EU would come close to censorship if it was to review the statements allowed in an election campaign or political discussion.” The ministers also agreed that the EU had no exclusive jurisdiction on issues concerning the bloc’s fundamental values, he said.
Regarding EU enlargement, the ministers backed the proposal to involve the candidate countries furthest along in the accession procedure in the dialogue on the rule of law. “We hope that the agreement will be completed under the Belgian presidency, and Hungary will be the first to conduct talks on the rule of law with the participation of four member candidates,” Serbia, Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia, he said. Leaders of the member states will adopt an itinerary on the enlargement process at the next EU summit, he said. Hungary will play an important role in the process during its presidency, he added. Bóka also met the Secretary-General of the European Parliament on Tuesday, to discuss preparations to the transition to the Hungarian presidency.