EK will sue Hungary in The Hague for the disputed Law on the Protection of Sovereignty
The European Commission said today it will take Hungary to the International Court of Justice in The Hague for possible violations of privacy rights and freedom of expression and association over a new law that could allow authorities to investigate and prosecute people accused of undermining the sovereignty of the country.
The Law on the Protection of Sovereignty came into effect in December. It created a government body with the power to collect information on any groups or individuals that benefit from foreign funding and influence public debate.
The Hungarian secret services can assist the authorities' investigations. Anyone convicted of breaking the law can be jailed for up to three years.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government says the law is designed to prevent political parties from receiving foreign funding for election campaigns, but opponents have compared it to Russia's "foreign agent" law, which would ban anyone who receives financial support from abroad, including journalists. and representation groups is an agent of another country.
They believe the vague language of the Hungarian law can be used to arbitrarily target critics of the government, including NGOs and journalists.
In June, the body tasked with defending against foreign influence launched an investigation into the Hungarian branch of the anti-corruption organization Transparency International. The media were also targeted.