In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Karácsony said the measure marked a new low in Hungary’s governance. “
This government has hit many lows in dismantling the rule of law and constitutional order over the past sixteen years. But I cannot recall anything as brazen as what happened on Tuesday,” he wrote.
The decree, introduced with retroactive effect, declares that funds seized from the Budapest municipality cannot be challenged in court and explicitly instructs judges to terminate ongoing proceedings.
“This is a chilling admission by the government that the municipality would win these cases, and that the money taken from the people of Budapest should be returned,” Karácsony said. “Yet what is even more alarming is that this sets a precedent: if a court appears likely to rule against the government, a decree can simply be issued afterwards to declare the government right and dismiss the case.”
He added: “The government has now abandoned even the pretense of respecting the rule of law.”
Later on Wednesday, Karácsony said he had asked the European Commission to examine possible steps to safeguard legal standards in Hungary.
“I hope the courts can resist this assault. If they cannot, it will ultimately be painful for pro-government politicians. This system will end one day. What remains to be seen is whether that end will come within the framework of the rule of law, or by trampling it. That will depend on the precedents this current regime creates.”
He wrote that he was urging Brussels to “look into the steps they could take to protect the rule of law in Hungary.”
“Retroactively overriding court decisions with government decrees clearly violates the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union… If the Hungarian government is allowed to retroactively annul court decisions with a decree issued during the state of emergency … then [it] is clearly shirking a fundamental duty towards its citizens,” he said.
The decree, Karácsony added, “is an acknowledgement that those monies should rightfully be given back” to municipalities.
“It is also an acknowledgement that the Hungarian government’s economic policy is a failure. A mockery of the independence of the judiciary and judges. In that sense, this is a European issue,” he said.
Karácsony said he hoped the courts would not be influenced by the decree or by “the propaganda of intimidation”.
“If that happens, we can still keep our budget balanced by suing for damages; at the same time, we must take precautions. We will not be able to pay suppliers’ invoices until mid-March when corporate taxes will be paid,” he said, calling on Budapest-based companies to bring forward tax payments if possible.
“We hope to make it to April this way.”
He concluded by expressing confidence in voters’ long-term judgment: “We trust voters to elect a government that will not see municipalities or the nation’s capital … as an enemy.”
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