The S&D Group in the European parliament is calling for the European Commission to look into charges of corruption in Hungary following recent reports from the European anti-fraud office (OLAF).
S&D Group Vice President Josef Weidenholzer said:
“Over the last few years there have been a high number of reports from Hungary that EU funds are not being used for the purposes they are intended. The European anti-fraud office has found that Hungary has the worst record for EU funds being misspent. To date the European Commission has said or done very little about this. We cannot let this continue, together with colleagues from all the other major political groups, we are calling for the Commission to investigate the findings from OLAF and to take meaningful action against the Hungarian government if they are proved correct.

S&D Group Vice President Péter Niedermüller said:
“EU funds being misspent is not simply a Hungarian issue. However, what is occurring in Hungary is on a different scale to anywhere else in Europe. The Hungarian government seems to be ignoring what is taking place and has failed to take any meaningful action to prevent it so far. The EU institutions cannot remain silent on this. We are seeing an increasingly illiberal state in Hungary being built with the help of EU funds.

S&D Group spokesperson for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, Birgit Sippel said:
“In the wake of the UK referendum, it is clear that we need to rebuild public trust in the European Union. We need to show that taxpayers’ money is spent effectively and for the purposes that it was intended. This is part of a wider problem we face in the EU, when countries are in the process of joining the Union we have many ways to ensure they meet the necessary standards. However, we have not found effective means to deal with countries that break rules once they are in the club. This is a priority for our group, we need to show to our citizens that the EU can work effectively and that those who break the fundamental rules of the Union can be effectively sanctioned.”  

Note to editors
Please see briefing note attached on allegations of financial mismanagement and corruption in Hungary