Brussels, 3 October 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The European Commission decided on Thursday to take Hungary to court over an alleged breach of the European Union's fundamental rights.

The move comes after Budapest failed to dispel concerns over a relatively new Hungarian law intended to restrict foreign funding for political campaigns, a press release said.

The announcement is the latest in a series of reprimands for Hungary, where the nationalist government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has often been criticized by the commission for its restrictive policies.

The commission suspects that the law violates the freedom of expression, the presumption of innocence, and several principles of the EU's internal market.

The bill extends an existing ban on foreign funding for political parties to associations and other organisations. Offences are punishable by up to three years in prison.

If the European Court of Justice (ECJ) sides with the commission, Hungary could again face a heavy fine.

German EU lawmaker Daniel Freund welcomed the commission's decision, which he called "the right step and long overdue."

"This law is straight out of [Russian President] Vladimir Putin's textbook and is being used very specifically against civil society in Hungary," Freund said.

The ECJ already imposed a €200 million ($221 million) fine in June over a breach of EU asylum law. As Budapest has missed the deadline to pay the fine, the commission decided to deduct the sum from Hungary's EU funds.

The commission, charged with proposing and enforcing EU legislation, is currently conducting more than 70 investigations into Hungary for alleged breaches of EU law.

MIA file photo