NGO comments on the 5th Amendment to the Fundamental Law
Opinion of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and the Eötvös Károly Institute
People are free in a state where the consequences of their actions are predictable and where clean and transparent rules apply not only to them, but also to state authorities. In a state where the people know what the state expects from them, but they also know what they can expect from the state.
Opinion of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and the Eötvös Károly Institute
The Hungarian government provided detailed comments on the so-called Tavares Report regarding the situation of fundamental rights in Hungary, which will soon be discussed by Members of the European Parliament. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC), the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU), and the Standards (Mérték) Media Monitor responded to the government’s inaccurate and unfounded comments in an analysis submitted to the factions of the European Parliament.
Analyses and summaries in English on the problems arising in connection with the Fourth Amendment to the Fundamental Law of Hungary in terms of the rule of law and the protection of human rights.
Three Hungarian NGOs, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, the Eötvös Károly Institute and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union addressed the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and the European Commission Vice-President, Commissioner in Charge of Justice, Human Rights and Citizenship in order to raise their attention to the planned Fourth Amendment to the Fundamental Law of Hungary, threatening the rule of law. The NGOs asked the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to request the Venice Commission to perform an analysis of the proposed amendments.
Last year the Government introduced fundamental changes to the judicial system. Although 30 separate provisions of the relevant regulation were amended in response to the serious concerns raised by the Venice Commission (VC), the organization of the judicial system remains centralized and still endangers the independence of the judiciary and the fairness of court proceedings – according to the Eötvös Károly Institute, the HHC and the HCLU.
The Hungarian Government commented on the draft opinion of the Venice Commission regarding the new Hungarian Act on the Constitutional Court. The HHC, the HCLU, and the Eötvös Károly Institute outlined and assessed the reactions of the Government.
The Hungarian Government failed to provide adequate legislative response to the Venice Commission’s criticism on judicial reform
Fact sheets prepared by the HHC, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and the Eötvös Károly Policy Institute on some of the cardinal changes related to the rule of law in Hungary
The HHC, the HCLU and the Eötvös Károly Institute analysed the new laws on the court system and the Prosecution Service of Hungary.
Hungarian NGO’s send alternative answers to Viviane Reding, EU Fundamental Rights Commissioner
The Eötvös Károly Public Policy Institute, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union analysed the draft of the new Constitutional Court Act, to be adopted under the new Hungarian Constitution. The three NGOs found that under the proposed new rules, the Constitutional Court would only be able to ensure respect for constitutional provisions to a limited extent. In turn, the powers of Parliament would increase and fundamental rights protection would weaken.
In their letter sent to the President of the European Commission, the Eötvös Károly Institute, the HHC and the HCLU claim that Hungarian legal provisions on the Data Protection Commissioner of Hungary violate relevant EU directives. The NGOs suggest the Commission to initiate a proceeding against Hungary.
The Eötvös Károly Institute, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and Transparency International Hungary jointly evaluated the first three months of the newly formed Parliament.
The Venice Commission issued an opinion on the new Constitution (the “Fundamental Law”) of Hungary in June 2011. Due to the lack of an official Hungarian translation and the misleading statements of government party representatives, the public may have a false impression of the content of the opinion. Therefore, the Eötvös Károly Institute, the HHC and the HCLU have prepared a joint analysis on the reactions of the Government in light of the Venice Commission’s opinion.
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee has prepared a summary on the events of concern happened in Hungary in the course of the country’s EU presidency, with special regard to the signs of racism and intolerance and the adoption of the new Constitution of Hungary.
The Eötvös Károly Policy Institute, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee have examined the draft Constitution of Hungary submitted to the Parliament on 14 March 2011. According to the NGOs the draft Constitution undermines democratic political competition and makes political change more difficult by transforming institutional structures, weakens the system of checks and balances and alters the framework of the political community by extending the right to vote. The draft Constitution decreases the level of protection of fundamental rights and significantly limits the enforceability of these rights through curbing the Constitutional Court’s powers. Since there is no information available on the planned content of the acts of Parliament requiring a two-third majority to be adopted, it may be stated that the adoption of the new Constitution will be only the beginning of the constitution-making process, not the end of it.
16 March 2011 – The Eötvös Károly Institute, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee compiled a joint analysis on the process of framing the new Constitution of Hungary. The three NGOs … Read more
The Eötvös Károly Institute, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee assessed the second wave of legislation by Hungary’s new Parliament
The Eötvös Károly Institute, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee assessed the second wave of legislation by Hungary’s new Parliament
The Eötvös Károly Institute, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and Transparency International Hungary jointly evaluated the first three months of the newly formed Parliament.