Corruption in Hungary remains a serious problem, with EU funds being particularly vulnerable

Hungary held elections on 6 April 2014, with incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party retaining its ‘supermajority’ in the Hungarian parliament. Johannes Wachs writes that one of the key challenges facing Hungary in the aftermath of the elections is the issue of corruption, with recent studies indicating that the country faces a greater corruption problem than other states in Central and Eastern Europe, such as the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

He argues that while the evidence suggests corruption is systemic and not specifically linked to Fidesz, EU funds are particularly susceptible to the problem and this could exacerbate tensions between Hungary and net-contributor states in the rest of the EU.

ESO: Background information: Up to €2.2bn of public funds stolen in eight EU states http://www.europeansources.info/record/up-to-e2-2bn-of-public-funds-stolen-in-eight-eu-states/

ESO: Background information: Commission’s corruption report gets mixed reviews across EU http://www.europeansources.info/record/commissions-corruption-report-gets-mixed-reviews-across-eu/

ESO: Background information: Hungarian parliamentary election, 2014 http://www.europeansources.info/record/hungarian-parliamentary-election-2014/

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