By Martin Banks - 9th February 2012
There is no time to waste
Neelie Kroes
EU commissioner Neelie Kroes has launched a withering verbal attack on Hungary's media laws, branding them as "deeply troubling".
Kroes, the digital agenda commissioner, also described the laws as being "too restrictive and forcing the press toward self-censorship".
The Dutch official was addressing a public hearing in parliament on Thursday on the controversy currently raging about Hungary's media laws.
Earlier, Kroes held talks with Hungarian deputy prime minister Tibor Navracsics who, she said, had pledged to reform the legislation.
The EU has already opened 'infringement' proceedings against Hungary over its democratic standards under prime minister Viktor Orbán.
Opening the packed hearing, she said the EU "continued to have grave concerns about the current situation in Hungary".
She said, "These concerns are based on fact, not myth.
Kroes told the hearing, organised by parliament's civil liberties committee, that Hungary's new laws institute "high fines for breaching unclear rules (which) can result in self-censorship".
She told the meeting, including MEPs, that the Hungarian constitutional court, in a ruling on 19 December, had made criticisms of the country's new media laws.
With Navracsics sat alongside her, she said, "Today, I am urging the Hungarian government to rapidly respect and implement the findings of the constitutional court. We have seen a start to this but it is not enough.
"Hungary needs to show that it is serious about protecting freedom of expression and media pluralism."
Aside from the issue of press independence, the issue had wider economic implications, she said.
"Private investors need to have full access to an independent media and the Hungarian government needs to be very careful that it does not give any other impression," she said.
She said there were also concerns about other issues, including alleged "widespread" discrimination against minority groups, such as Roma.
"I have heard stories of violence being used against minorities and some wanting to flee the country because of this."
She said the commission "expected" Hungary to ask the Council of Europe for its opinion on the media law and then to implement its recommendations.
"There is no time to waste. Hungary needs to dispel these doubts about its commitment to European values."
Addressing the same event, Francoise Le Bail, director general of the commission's justice DG, said the concerns expressed by Kroes were also shared by fellow commissioner Viviane Reding, in charge of the justice dossier.
Le Bail said there were concerns about other issues in Hungary such as the forced early retirement of judges and the independence of the country's judiciary.
However, a position paper by the Hungarian EPP delegation, which was circulated at the meeting, defended the reforms introduced by Orbán, saying, "The profound changes are justified."
While it supports the ongoing dialogue between the EU and Hungary, it went on, "At the time, we reject the false, misleading statements aiming to discredit the Hungarian government.
"The delegation also rejects all those charges and statements that question the commitment of the Hungarian government towards democratic and European values."
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