STATING THE OBVIOUS

As the General Affairs Council moves forward with the Article 7 proceeding regarding Hungary, NGOs have prepared a reaction paper to refute the most significant false or misleading statements of the updated Information Note published by the Hungarian government.

The reaction paper collates the most significant false or misleading statements of the Government’s Information Note and rebuttals by civil society organisations thereto, along with pointing out the most important instances when the Hungarian Government failed to react to the concerns included in the EP resolution (hereafter referred to as “Reasoned Proposal”). It also contains the most important new developments in the area of rule of law and human rights in Hungary since the adoption of the Reasoned Proposal. While doing so, the reaction paper focuses on the parts of the Government’s Information Note that are relevant for the procedure under Article 7(1) TEU.

The reaction paper follows the structure of the Reasoned Proposal and the Information Note, primarily uses the chapter headings and sub-headings applied by the Information Note, and mostly covers only the issues listed in these documents. Therefore, it should not be considered a full account of the rule of law and human rights situation in Hungary.