Hungary money: EU Parliament wants to sue over financing contributions Lufthansa expects 1,000 flights to be canceled: there will be another strike

Accordingly, 16 members voted in favor of the lawsuit on Monday evening, as the German Press Agency learned. One member voted against and there were no abstentions.

According to parliamentary circles, following the clear decision of the committee, it is now certain that Parliament Speaker Roberta Metsola will instruct the Parliament’s Legal Service to initiate the lawsuit. According to current plans, she will inform the Conference of Presidents on Thursday about the Legal Affairs Committee’s recommendation. In addition to Metsola, the chairmen of the parliamentary groups sit there. The conference is responsible for relations with the other EU institutions.

The background to the lawsuit plans is the European Commission’s decision to release around ten billion euros in frozen EU funds for the country, despite continued criticism of the rule of law in Hungary. Brussels authorities justified the move late last year by saying that Budapest met the necessary requirements. The EU had previously blocked the funds over concerns that too little was being done under Prime Minister Viktor Orban to fight corruption and protect the rule of law.

In January, Parliament announced that the Legal Affairs Committee and the Legal Service would investigate a possible legal case over the controversial release. If there is evidence of violations of EU law, the case must be brought before the European Court of Justice.

The parliamentary committee’s decision was preceded by a legal opinion on the chances of a possible lawsuit. This initially did not produce clear results. The report is available to the German Press Agency. (sda/dpa)