Orban was conciliatory in Strasbourg |
Hungarian
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has told EU lawmakers he will modify controversial
laws that are the subject of legal action against Budapest launched by the
European Commission.
EU concerns
over Hungary's laws on its central bank and judiciary can be resolved swiftly,
Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday in an effort to avert legal
action by Brussels and win much-needed financial aid from the EU and the
International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Orban told
the European Parliament in Strasbourg that fixing the issues that led the
bloc's executive to launch legal proceedings against his country "will not
pose a problem."
The Prime
Minister's Fidesz party has faced criticism for tightening control over public
institutions including the judiciary, central bank and data protection agency,
as well as the media.
Defending
policies
Orban urged
the EU to take into account that his country is undergoing a "serious
transformation" after being on the brink of collapse two years ago.
"What's
happening in our country is a very exciting process of renewal," Orban
told the Parliament. "It is absolutely understandable that there are
debates in conjunction with that." He added he hoped talks next week with
EU executive chief Jose Manuel Barroso would yield quick results.
Barroso
urged Orban's government to demonstrate its commitment to democracy.
"I
strongly appeal to the Hungarian authorities to respect the very principles of
democracy and freedom, and to implement them not only in the norms but also in
the practice and in the political and social life in this country," he
said.
Author: Dagmar Breitenbach (Reuters. AFP, dpa)
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