At this hearing last week, Bell expressed concern about the direction in which the current government is leading Hungary: “Many argue that sweeping legislative and constitutional changes have hurt the international investment climate, undermined property rights, weakened the judiciary and centralized power in the hands of the executive [branch].”
She promised to “work tirelessly to uphold American and European democratic values, to express our concerns where appropriate, and to urge our Hungarian partners to work collaboratively with international partners and civil society on these issues.”
In response, Foreign Minister János Martonyi shot back by saying that Bell “shouldn’t work from scripts written in advance by others” and that her ideas of Hungary “are based on misunderstandings and false information.”



