What does it entail for a parliamentary committee to be called a committee of inquiry? Does it perform different tasks or have more powers?
Three types of committees can function in the European Parliament (EP): standing committees organized along the lines of political logic, special committees organized to carry out specific tasks, and investigative committees. According to the rules, the EP can designate a temporary committee of inquiry to investigate potential violations of EU law. In other words, the establishment of this committee is unlawful in and of itself. After all, what the PEGA committee is investigating is the national security matters of Member States – which EU law has no competence over.
So, Member States can decide on issues of national security themselves?
This is exactly what I am talking about – national security, is the exclusive competence of Member States and this committee of inquiry is going outside the law in its existence, operation, acceptance of reports, and visit planned to Hungary. This is behind why the Hungarian government is not really taking notice of this visit. Anyways, there is nothing to contribute as, since the Fidesz government took over in 2010, the national security services have not carried out illegal surveillance in Hungary. During their visit to Budapest, the members of the investigation committee must meet with NGOs which have already spoken out countless times at the LIBE and PEGA meetings in the EP; so, this two-day trip to Budapest will provide a suitable opportunity for them to return the previous invitation for the EP.
How can the committee function and organize visits despite this?
This is purely political. This committee exists because the EP’s leftist majority decided so. Actually, their argument for this is absolutely absurd. In the draft report which will be accepted by the Pegasus committee, it is stated that since the council previously discussed the issue of spyware at the request of the EP, they believe that this should be interpreted as recognizing the EU’s competence in this regard.
I think it goes without saying that this explanation is frivolous and has no legal basis.
Lacking any legal basis, it is clear this committee of inquiry is motivated by politics; this is another effort from the European Left to restrict national sovereignty and nation-states. I used the plural because aside from Hungary, the committee is also dealing with four other Member States: Poland, Spain, Cyprus, and Greece. And the liberal Dutch representative Sophie in’t Veld, who has been slandering the Hungarian government for over ten years, is responsible for this report.
What can we expect from this upcoming visit?
From a legal perspective, this visit has no consequences, nor does the Pegasus committee’s report that they will accept in spring. The European Commission has emphasized countless times that national security and related actions belong to Member State competences; additionally, there will be no EU measures or legislative initiatives in this area based on this report. In political terms, we expect the usual witch-hunt.
Both the European Left and the European Parliament will seek to take advantage of this visit. The Left will try to forge capital based on this slander posed as fact and the EP will follow its usual imperial aspirations when “sending its investigative committee on a fact-finding operation” to play the role of the American congress.
But Europe is not a federal state and it never will be. The truth is, the establishment of this committee and the way it operates and tries to investigate Member States is in the style of a sensational tabloid. The method of presenting reports based on rumors and newspaper articles, the “findings” of which are the repetition of biased NGOs in the Open Society Foundation network by the civil organizations that have appointed themselves in this matter, does not live up to the values of our European community based on an independent association of nation states.
Could the creation of this investigative committee be aimed at putting pressure on the European Commission in connection with the EU funds that are due our country?
It is clear that the left-wing parties of the EP –especially the Greens and Socialists – keep the agreement under constant fire. The Hungarian government has always sought compromise with the European Commission, but it is obvious that the European Parliament wants to intervene every time. Such an attack is also a tool to exert pressure. The same individuals appear in this committee as those who formulate reports against our country in plenary sessions motivated by various leftist NGOs.
Is it not rather late to be dealing with the Pegasus case a year and a half later?
It seems the committee’s work is stalling. Moreover, they are trying to formulate a report that has no tangible evidence. They are stalling for time to allow the committee’s work to continue, but since this is a temporary committee, their work will have to be completed eventually.
Photo: Philippe Stirnweiss
