John
01-04-2011, 01:07 PM
Hungary's government insisted Tuesday it would not rethink its controversial media law, even after the European Commission expressed concerns and asked for explanations.
"It isn't necessary to change a Hungarian law just because it is subject to criticism from abroad," Zoltan Kovacs, state secretary for communication, told national radio.
"Before criticising, let's wait and see how this law works. We are confident it will be up to the task," he added.
On Monday, just 48 hours after Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the EU, the European Union said it had "doubts" on whether the controversial new press law complied with EU rules on media freedom.
In a letter to Budapest in late December, European Commission vice-president Neelie Kroes voiced "concerns" and asked for "clarification" on the text, a Commission spokesman said.
Budapest will respond to Brussels' criticism on Wednesday or Thursday, as the law has not yet been entirely translated into English, Kovacs noted.
France on Tuesday also called for Hungary to change its media law, judging that it was "incompatible with the application of a certain idea of the freedom of the press, endorsed by all the European treaties."
The controversial legislation, which came into force on January 1 just as Hungary took over the rotating six-month EU presidency, gives a new regulatory authority, the NMHH, the right to impose fines of up to 200 million forint (720,000 euros, 950,000 dollars) for material that is considered offensive.
The authority -- headed by a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban -- also has the right to force journalists to reveal sources in issues related to national security.
Source - Yahoo.
"It isn't necessary to change a Hungarian law just because it is subject to criticism from abroad," Zoltan Kovacs, state secretary for communication, told national radio.
"Before criticising, let's wait and see how this law works. We are confident it will be up to the task," he added.
On Monday, just 48 hours after Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the EU, the European Union said it had "doubts" on whether the controversial new press law complied with EU rules on media freedom.
In a letter to Budapest in late December, European Commission vice-president Neelie Kroes voiced "concerns" and asked for "clarification" on the text, a Commission spokesman said.
Budapest will respond to Brussels' criticism on Wednesday or Thursday, as the law has not yet been entirely translated into English, Kovacs noted.
France on Tuesday also called for Hungary to change its media law, judging that it was "incompatible with the application of a certain idea of the freedom of the press, endorsed by all the European treaties."
The controversial legislation, which came into force on January 1 just as Hungary took over the rotating six-month EU presidency, gives a new regulatory authority, the NMHH, the right to impose fines of up to 200 million forint (720,000 euros, 950,000 dollars) for material that is considered offensive.
The authority -- headed by a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban -- also has the right to force journalists to reveal sources in issues related to national security.
Source - Yahoo.