Budapest denies its Sovereignty Protection Office is stifling the freedom of information
Hungary has been accused of trying to intimidate civil society as the European Commission has issued legal proceedings against its Sovereignty Protection Office.
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00Hungary has been accused of trying to intimidate civil society by launching an investigation
00:05into Transparency International, the NGO working to end corruption worldwide.
00:11A newly formed body by the Hungarian government named the Sovereign Protection Office sent
00:16a six-page letter to the group accusing it of aiming to influence the will of the electorate.
00:23Lawyers for Transparency International say the claims are false and are a response to
00:27inquiries it had for Chinese financing of Hungarian transport.
00:32We were expecting as a member of the civil society group in Hungary that one or other
00:40of our organizations is going to be assessed or investigated.
00:43We are now scapegoated and singled out.
00:46Definitely it's a response to our pulling the legs of the Sovereign Protection Office.
00:52We kept on submitting letters to this office informing the head of the leadership of the
01:00office about the potential sovereign implication in Chinese influence in Hungary.
01:07China is giving a major state finance loan to the Hungarian government to finance the
01:13Belgrade to Budapest railway and this is a very obscure investment with no transparency
01:19requirements applying.
01:20Budapest denies the Sovereign Protection Law is about stifling freedom of information and
01:25insists that the office is independent of the government and that the law aims to provide
01:30clarity on funding for NGOs.
01:32And the legislation creates an office that is independent from the government so when
01:39you refer to investigation or scrutiny initiated by this office, this is not something that
01:46is done by the government, this is something that is done by the office which is institutionally
01:50and personally speaking independent from the government.
01:53So I would refer these questions to the office.
01:57The European Commission has issued legal proceedings against Hungary for the Sovereignty Law saying
02:01that it violates a wide range of EU fundamental rights and values.
02:06Hungary has until the end of the summer to respond.
02:09If it doesn't do so in a satisfactory manner, the EU says it will have no choice to escalate
02:14the situation.
02:15Shona Murray, Euronews, Budapest.
02:20Thank you.
02:21Thank you.
02:22Thank you.
02:23Thank you.
02:24Thank you.
02:25Thank you.
02:26Thank you.
02:27Thank you.
02:28Thank you.
02:29Thank you.
02:30Thank you.
02:31Thank you.
02:32Thank you.
02:33Thank you.
02:34Thank you.
02:35Thank you.
02:36Thank you.
02:37Thank you.
02:38Thank you.
02:39Thank you.
02:40Thank you.
02:41Thank you.
02:42Thank you.
02:43Thank you.
02:44Thank you.
02:45Thank you.
02:46Thank you.
02:47Thank you.
02:48Thank you.