New breach of duty proceedings are initiated against Hungary

The European Commission is launching infringement proceedings against Hungary for failure to comply with EU rules on highway concessions.

According to the board’s findings, a number of problems arose in connection with the concession contracts, the announcement states that the 25-year concession awarded by Hungary was not transparent with regard to the estimated contract value, and it does not cover the operational risk to a sufficient extent and for an unjustified long time concluded the contract, which violates EU law.

The Hungarian government now has two months to respond to the Commission’s arguments.

The Hungarian state is taking legal steps

The Government Information Center responded to the European Commission’s findings in a statement, in which it states: “Brussels is repeatedly applying a double standard to the detriment of Hungary.”

According to the announcement, similar investments have been approved for many other member states. It is stated that the strategic goals of the Hungarian State include the operation and development of a sustainable and high-quality road network in order to promote the mobilization of society. This goal was achieved by the concession contract, on the basis of which the concessionaire undertook to operate and operate the expressways in the long term, and also undertook to expand 317 kilometers of new highways and 265 kilometers of highways within 10 years, which the Hungarian State would not be able to do under the EU due to the lack of resources.

According to the information center, the length of the examined European and international concession contracts is mostly in the range of 26-35 years, but there are also concession contracts with a duration of 50-80 years. The announcement mentions as examples the United Kingdom, Germany, as well as concession road construction in Poland, Slovakia, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, Portugal and Australia.

In the second case, the Commission initiates proceedings due to the asylum case. As they write, the Hungarian government did not implement the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), according to which Hungary did not ensure access to the international protection procedure for third-country nationals and stateless persons, as well as the joint procedures for granting and withdrawing international protection also violated the directive.

The Commission complained that, based on Hungarian rules, third-country nationals can only apply for asylum at Hungarian embassies located outside the EU.

In the third procedure, the Commission still considers the law known as Lex-CEU to be incompatible with EU rules. It was stipulated that there should be an international agreement with the country in which they are based, and they should also have been engaged in educational activities in the United States.