„They want an expedited decision on one of the most complicated legal questions in EU history, but in a simple procedural issue we had to wait three years for a decision?” commented Judit Varga in her interview with Magyar Nemzet regarding the ongoing EU debates on rule of law. In connection with the recent decision from the Court of Justice, the Minister of Justice pointed out: this is a legal decision that not a single champion of rule of law was concerned with. „I myself said at every Article 7 hearing that I shouldn’t even be here until there is a court ruling” she stated, adding that: putting it lightly, it is problematic that the very functioning of the EU institutions lacks the rule of law elements such as due process and legal certainty.
We are talking about a judgement in a legal proceeding that the rule of law champions are not concerned with at all
Judit Varga told Magyar Nemzet responding to Thursday’s ruling from the European Court of Justice to reject Hungary’s lawsuit filed in Luxembourg against the legally invalid voting procedures for the Sargentini report. (As is known, in the autumn of 2018, the European Parliament gave the green light to a report by Judith Sargentini that was rather exaggeratedly critical of Hungary. During the voting process, abstentions were not counted as votes thus they were able to obtain the two-thirds majority needed to activate the Article 7 sanctions. The Hungarian government then appealed to the Court of Justice, alleging a procedural irregularity -ed.)
According to the Minister of Justice, the European Parliament’s resolution from almost three years ago and the Article 7 procedure launched in the name of so-called rule of law, are controversial in many respects. “Thus far, the Article 7 proceedings have taken place without the EU institutions or the European left acknowledging the case in the Court of Justice. Not one of the rule of law champions cared that there is an EU country with a relevant legal concern regarding the procedure. I myself said at every Article 7 hearing that I shouldn’t even be here until there is a court ruling.