In a scathing resolution, Members of the European Parliament threatened to launch legal action against the European Commission if the executive releases further frozen funds to Hungary.
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00:00 "The European Parliament has threatened to take legal action against the European Commission
00:09 over the release of 10 billion euros in frozen cohesion funds for Hungary. In a resolution
00:15 approved on Thursday, lawmakers denounced the Commission's decision and said Hungary
00:20 had not met the requirements for judicial independence. The resolution was backed by
00:24 a large majority of MPs." "We still see that there is a massive threat to the rule of law,
00:31 for example, independence of the judiciary in Hungary and that is why it is a wrong step
00:37 to partly unfreeze the funds now. It would be an even worse step to unfreeze more funds
00:45 so we support that we go in front of the court against the Commission on this case." "Brussels
00:51 is currently withholding over 20 billion euros from Hungary's cohesion and recovery funds.
00:57 Budapest is demanding all the money be unfrozen. But in their resolution, lawmakers said that
01:03 the EU could not give in to blackmail and urged Member States to stand firm against
01:07 Viktor Orban's veto." "I think everybody is deeply dissatisfied with the way that the
01:14 Commission and the European Council have been handling things and I think the proof of that
01:20 is that we are in a situation where the whole continent and Ukraine are being held hostage
01:25 by one person, Mr. Orban." The governing party of Hungary rejected the criticism and said
01:33 the European Parliament was biased. "There are clearly people in this Parliament who don't
01:39 want an agreement between the European Commission and the Hungarian government, who don't care
01:45 about details, who don't care about facts and reality. They are so adamant and so vehemently
01:52 anti-Hungary and anti-Orban that reality no longer matters for them." The president of
01:58 the European Commission said that the partial release of funds for Hungary was justified.
02:03 Von der Leyen stressed the remaining 20 billion euros was conditional on reforms addressing
02:08 conflicts of interest, protecting LGBTQ rights and guaranteed access to asylum.
02:14 Minister, Honourable Member.