Rule of Law and the role of European Union funds – Hungary’s place in a renewing European Union
Transparency International Hungary’s conference on International Anti-Corruption Day
December 9 is World Anticorruption Day in commemoration of the 2003 signing of the United Nations Convention against Corruption. World Anticorruption Day gives also reason to Transparency International Hungary to organise its annual conference, which, this year, will take place on December the 8th. Our mission is to call on the people of Hungary to take a clear stance against corruption, a goal we pursue in cooperation with public decision makers, with members of the business community, and with representatives of the media.
This year’s World Anticorruption Day conference will focus on Hungary’s future in a renewing European Union. In a roundtable discussion we will seek to answer how Hungary’s Rule of Law performance interlinks with the just and efficient allocation of European Union funds. We will also explore requirements imposed by the European Union on Member States and examine how recipients of EU funds adhere to these such requirements. Participants in a separate roundtable will discuss the limits of Member States’ sovereignty and EU’s answers to challenges posed by corruption and an inclination to leave the path of Rule of Law on Member States’ behalf.
Beyond roundtable discussions, Transparency International Hungary issues a public call titled “Supermarket or common destiny?”. Applicants are invited to submit billboards to Transparency International Hungary. The winner of this competition will be announced after the conference ends.
Venue: A38 Ship (Budapest, Petőfi Bridge, Buda bridgehead at the embankment
Date: 8 December, 2017
Registration until December 6, 2017, via e-mail at emese.hortobagyi@transparency.hu.
Program:
Moderator: Krisztina Boros, reporter and editor, RTL Klub
14:00 – 14:45 Registration
15:00 – 15:10 Welcoming remarks by Mr. Jozsef Peter Martin, executive director, Transparency International Hungary
15:10 – 15:20 Opening remarks by Mr. Gabor Zupko, Head of Representation of the European Commission to Hungary
15:20 – 15:25 Opening remarks by Mr. Éric Fournier, Ambassador of France
15:25 – 15:45 Keynote address by Mr. Gyorgy Suranyi, former governor of the Hungarian Central Bank
15:45 – 15:50 Q & A
15:50 – 17:15 First roundtable discussion – Corruption and Rule of law performance in Hungary
Hungary is one of the biggest beneficiary of EU Funds. Participants will discuss if Rule of Law performance interlinks with corruption and the use and absorption of European Union funds, and, if yes, what is the relation between these features. How can the EU deal with the reality if the basic principles of the EU, including Rule of Law, are neglected in an EU Member State? Can the independent civil society take on a more active role in controlling the use of EU funds? The European Commission launched a pilot project two years ago titled “Integrity Pacts – Civil Control Mechanism for Safeguarding EU Funds” – what are the experiences? Panellists will discuss the efficiency of EU regulations, and how Hungary complies with the expectations of the EU.
Participants :
Ms. Krisztina Arato, university professor
Mr. Laszlo Csaba, professor, Central European University, Corvinus University
Mr. Andras Jakab, legal scholar
Mr. Miklos Ligeti, legal director of Transparency International Hungary
17:00 – 17:15 Q & A
17:15 – 17:45 Coffee break
17:45 – 19:00 Second roundtable discussion – The European Union’s future: responses to corruption risks and Rule of Law challenges, limits of Member States’ sovereignty
Participants will discuss how adequately European Union organs, in the first place, the European Commission reacts to corruption risks and Rule of Law challenges emerging in Member States, and how efficient such reactions are. They will seek to answer if the gap between infringement procedures, often regarded too technical, and the imposition of Article 7 of the Treaty on the European Union, called a “nuclear bomb” can be bridged. The European Union’s responsibility in preventing Member States from leaving the path of Rule of Law and the limits of Member States’ sovereignty to determine their institutions of checks & balances will also be explored.
Participants:
Mr. Laszlo Andor, former member of the European Commission, in charge of employement
Mr. Carl Dolan, head of Transparency International’s European Union Office
Mr. József Péter Martin, executive director, Transparency International Hungary
Mr. Laszlo Urban, economist
18:50 – 19:00 Q & A
19:00 – 19:20 Closing keynote address: Mr. David J. Kostelancik, Chargé d’affaires at U.S. Embassy
19:20 – 19:45 Announcement of the winner of the billboard competition titled “Supermarket or common destiny?”
19:45 – 20:00 Technical break
20:00 – 21:30 ‘End of the year’ reception of Transparency International Hungary
The first prize of the competition will be presented by the deputy ambassador of the Netherlands to Hungary, Elzo Molenberg.
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