Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its annual report has criticised the European Commission (EC) for dropping proceedings against Hungary over the country’s controversial new media laws.
The group said in a report released Sunday that the EC had “failed to pursue vigorously its duty to enforce fundamental rights” in a number of cases, including that of the Hungarian media laws, which began taking effect on 1 Jan. 2011.
Neelie Kroes, the European Commissioner for Digital Agenda, initially raised objections to the laws but backed off after Hungarian President Viktor Orbán promised to change certain elements of the legislation so as to address the EC’s concerns.
Kroes later pronounced herself satisfied with Hungary’s rewriting of the laws, according to news reports. But HRW said the changes “left in place the most significant problems, including overly broad and vague restrictions on media reporting with violations punishable by large fines, and regulatory powers in the hands of government-appointed bodies.”
The International Press Institute (IPI) and its subsidiary, the South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), voiced similar criticisms of the changes after they were adopted last March.
IPI Press Freedom Manager Anthony Mills said: “Like Human Rights Watch, we are disappointed that the European Commission continues to ignore the potential threat to press freedom in Hungary. The Commission must not back down when it comes to protecting independent media.”