Budapest: European Union (EU) has expressed its concern over the amendments to the Hungarian constitution approved by Hungarian parliament on March 11 2013.
EU claims that amendments are against the principle of the rule of law, EU law and Council of Europe standards.
“Unfortunately, experts from the Council of Europe and from the European Commission did not have the opportunity to discuss and clarify in detail the content of these amendments before their adoption,” European Commission President Jose Barroso and Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland said in a statement. The Council of Europe (Venice Commission) and the European Commission will now make a detailed assessment of these amendments, the joint statement said.
“President Barroso and Secretary General Jagland take also note of the confirmation made by Prime Minister (Viktor) Orbán, in his letter addressed to President Barroso (on March 8), of the full commitment of the Hungarian government and parliament to the European norms and values. In this sense, they expect that the Hungarian authorities will engage in bilateral contacts with the European institutions in order to address any concerns raised as to the compatibility of these amendments.
