Response to Hungarian Parliament's adoption of new constitutional changes
European Commission President Barroso and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland responded to the adoption by the Hungarian Parliament of the Fourth amendment to the Hungarian Fundamental Law.
They noted that the amendments raise the concerns of the Council of Europe (Venice Commission) and of the European Commission with respect to the principle of the rule of law, EU law and Council of Europe standards. Experts from both institutions will now make a detailed assessment of these new changes to the Constitution.
President Barroso and Secretary General Jagland also took note of the Hungarian authorities' full commitment to European norms and values as confirmed by Prime Minister Orbán in his letter of March. Now they expect the Hungarian authorities to engage in bilateral contacts with the European institutions in order to address any concerns.