Hungary to establish authority to prevent misuse of EU funds
At its core, it includes the establishment of an independent integrity authority, which is supposed to "prevent, detect and correct illegalities and irregularities concerning the implementation of EU funds," the proposal published on Friday evening said.
- Economy
- DPA
- Published Date: 01:12 | 24 September 2022
- Modified Date: 01:17 | 24 September 2022
The Hungarian government has presented a second package of laws aimed at preventing the misuse of EU funds.
At its core, it includes the establishment of an independent integrity authority, which is supposed to "prevent, detect and correct illegalities and irregularities concerning the implementation of EU funds," the proposal published on Friday evening said.
In addition, the authority will be obliged to report cases of fraud and corruption to the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO).
Hungary strictly refuses to become part of the EPPO, which started operating in June 2021 in the participating 22 EU countries. Participation means that the EPPO may order investigations in the countries concerned.
The Hungarian government is under pressure after the European Commission threatened to withhold €7.5 billion ($7.5 billion) in funding. The commission has long criticized widespread corruption in Hungary and gave the country two months to remedy the abuses.
Earlier this week, a first piece of legislation was proposed to address some of the EU's corruption concerns.