All articles tagged with #rule of law
The European Commission will release more than €16.4 billion in frozen EU funds to Hungary once reform milestones pass, including about €10 billion in pandemic recovery funds and €6.4 billion in cohesion funds. PM Péter Magyar says the funding follows Hungary’s democratic choice and is not linked to Ukraine talks, with disbursement conditioned on reforms passing parliament.
The European Commission unlocked €16.4 billion in EU funds for Hungary under new prime minister Péter Magyar, contingent on anti-corruption and rule-of-law reforms. About €10 billion comes from the Covid Recovery Fund with milestones, and €6.4 billion from cohesion funds to upgrade health, transport, energy grids, and education; Erasmus will resume for students, signaling a shift since Viktor Orbán’s era and a broader wind of change across Hungary.
Hungary secures €16.4bn of EU funds after a reform deal tied to anti-corruption and rule-of-law steps, with €10bn from NextGenerationEU, €4.2bn cohesion and €2.2bn for academic freedom; a €500m tranche remains blocked over LGBTQ-rights issues, as PM Péter Magyar hails a reset of EU ties and pledges swift reforms.
Brussels is cautiously engaging with Hungary’s new prime minister Péter Magyar to unlock roughly €10.4 billion in post-pandemic EU funds, insisting that concrete reforms — notably in judiciary, anti-corruption safeguards, and public procurement — must be completed before disbursement. While some progress is expected in talks ahead of a meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, EU officials warn the process isn’t simple and a ruling by the European Court of Justice on a previous fund release could complicate matters; Hungary also faces the risk of constitutional friction if reforms threaten Orbán-era positions, complicating a potential break with Brussels. The situation mirrors Poland’s mixed track record and shows the EU’s preference to see real changes before releasing money.}
An Associated Press review finds that in the first 15 months of Trump's second term, federal agencies defied or delayed compliance with lower-court orders in at least 31 lawsuits across immigration and policy, with higher courts sometimes overturning those decisions; experts warn the pattern threatens the rule of law even as some rulings are upheld.
An Associated Press analysis finds the Trump administration repeatedly ignored federal court orders in at least 31 lawsuits in the first 15 months of Trump’s return to the White House, with more than 700 lawsuits against the administration and about 250 noncompliance notes in immigration cases, signaling a sharp departure from prior administrations and raising concerns about the rule of law and checks and balances as judges clash with executive actions.
AP review finds the Trump administration violated lower court orders in at least 31 lawsuits over about 15 months, spanning immigration, deportations, and policy changes, prompting warnings from judges and scholars that such noncompliance undercuts the rule of law even as higher courts sometimes side with the White House.
Incoming Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar travels to Brussels to press for unlocking billions in EU funds ahead of an August deadline, meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as Hungary seeks to free about €10 billion in post-pandemic recovery money and secure additional financing, while Brussels links relief to progress on Ukraine alignment, sanctions, migration, and rule-of-law reforms after a reset in EU-Hungary ties.
EU officials and Hungary's incoming government held weekend talks in Budapest to unlock billions in frozen EU funds, including €10.4bn from the Recovery and Resilience Facility and up to €17bn in other funds; Hungary pledged reforms (anti-corruption, judicial independence, press and academic freedom) and said Ukraine matters will not be linked; the Commission says remaining issues can be resolved via milestones, with a late-August deadline, potentially unlocking up to €34bn for Hungary.
EU officials are in Hungary to negotiate the release of billions of euros currently blocked by the EU over concerns about Viktor Orbán’s governance and rule-of-law issues, signaling ongoing tensions and conditional funding negotiations between Budapest and Brussels.
EU Commission officials will meet Hungary’s incoming government led by Péter Magyar in Budapest to begin unfreezing €17 billion of EU funds, with Ukraine-related disputes also on the agenda. Five days after Magyar’s election victory, Brussels aims to unlock funds tied to reform benchmarks like judicial independence and academic freedom; Hungary could lose nearly €10bn if payments aren’t disbursed by August. While Brussels says no new conditions, the talks will also address Ukraine aid and the Druzhba pipeline dispute, reflecting tensions between Budapest’s stance and Brussels’ requirements as the new government forms.
Péter Magyar’s Tisza party won a two-thirds majority and pledged to pursue those who plundered Hungary, restore the rule of law and media independence, accelerate €17 billion in EU funding, join the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, and amend the constitution to cap prime ministers at two terms, while suspending state media and calling for resignations of top officials.
The opposition Tisza party won a two-thirds parliamentary majority, enabling constitutional changes to restore the rule of law and curb Viktor Orbán’s grip on power; Péter Magyar urged a peaceful transition and formation of a new government. The result signals a dramatic shift in Hungary with EU funds restoration and renewed support for Ukraine, but observers caution that illiberal governance could still stage a comeback.
The Dispatch published a rare, scathing editorial criticizing Donald Trump and GOP enablers for undermining the rule of law and plunging the country into disorder, pointing to crises from the Greenland dispute and Canada’s relations with China to Jerome Powell’s Fed probe, and warning that Republican inaction could bring the nation to an ‘awful and unspeakable’ brink.
A federal judge in Minneapolis harshly criticized ICE for repeatedly defying court orders during Operation Metro Surge, saying the agency is not above the law, but he canceled a planned appearance by ICE’s acting director after a detainee was released; the ruling occurs as lawsuits over ICE’s Minnesota operations continue, including efforts to end the surge and a class-action alleging constitutional rights violations at a makeshift detention center.