See every side of every news story
Published loading...Updated

EU Justice Chief Laments Democratic Standards in Hungary

HUNGARY, JUL 8 – The European Union continues to withhold €18 billion from Hungary due to no progress on key reforms addressing corruption and media independence, the Commission said.

  • On Tuesday, EU Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath unveiled the bloc's annual Rule of Law Report in Strasbourg, highlighting Hungary's ongoing democratic backsliding.
  • The report follows a 2022 European Commission decision to block approximately 18 billion euros in funds over concerns about Hungary's rule of law and governance issues.
  • The report details persistent issues in Hungary, including secret surveillance, media pluralism challenges, misuse of emergency powers, and pressure on judges and civil society.
  • McGrath said, "I wish it were otherwise," adding Hungary made virtually no progress on seven of eight recommendations, with a 200 million euro fine plus one million daily penalty imposed.
  • This impasse solidifies tensions between Brussels and the nationalist Hungarian government, which Prime Minister Orbán accuses of "financial blackmail," while EU funds remain frozen.
Insights by Ground AI
Does this summary seem wrong?

19 Articles

All
Left
7
Center
8
Right
3

Hungary has made "no progress" in the area of transparency of justice, media independence and the protection of civil society. The observation is made by the European Commission on Wednesday 9 July, which asks Budapest to respect the principles of the rule of law. The government of Viktor Orban was challenged in the street by a monster demonstration at the end of June on the occasion of the march of pride held in Budapest despite the ban of the …

·Paris, France
Read Full Article
Lean Left

The European Commission stated, March, that Hungary has not made 'no progress' with regard to a series of applications aimed at combating corruption, strengthening civil society and ensuring mass media independence, reports AFP.

·Romania
Read Full Article
Associated Press NewsAssociated Press News
+14 Reposted by 14 other sources
Lean Left

EU justice chief laments democratic standards in Hungary

The European Union's justice chief says Hungary has made virtually no progress in addressing concerns about democratic backsliding over the last year.

·United States
Read Full Article

Presenting the annual report on the rule of law in the EU, the Justice Commissioner said that Hungary had made virtually no progress or response to the country’s democratic backsliding over the past year. Among other shortcomings, the report highlighted concerns about party funding, surveillance, media pluralism, the government’s excessive use of emergency powers, and pressure on judges and members of civil society. Tensions between Orbán and th…

Think freely.Subscribe and get full access to Ground NewsSubscriptions start at $9.99/yearSubscribe

Bias Distribution

  • 44% of the sources are Center
44% Center
Factuality

To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium

Ownership

To view ownership data please Upgrade to Vantage

abc News broke the news in United States on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
Sources are mostly out of (0)

You have read 1 out of your 5 free daily articles.

Join millions of well-informed readers who use Ground to compare coverage, check their news blindspots, and challenge their worldview.