Serbia’s EU Path in Question: No Progress, Closer Ties with Russia, EP Warns
The European Parliament (EP) has expressed disappointment over Serbia’s lack of progress in advancing EU accession negotiations
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban doesn’t plan to reintroduce the death penalty, his chief of staff Janos Lazar said on Thursday.
The statement came after the head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker warned Orban would be in for "a fight" if he considered restoring capital punishment which is outlawed in the EU.
Asked about Orban's comment this week that the issue should be on Hungary's agenda, Juncker said the EU's fundamental charter "forbids the death penalty".
Juncker also said that “Orban must immediately make clear that this is not his intention. If it would be his intention it would be a fight,” according to Reuters.
Orban informed European Parliament President Martin Schulz on Thursday that he only wanted to have a debate on the issue and wasn't planning to restore the death penalty, Lazar said, according to state-run Hungarian news agency MTI.
Hungary will "keep to EU laws", Lazar added.
Orban raised the issue of the possible reintroduction of the death penalty on Tuesday following the murder of a young tobacco shop assistant by a robber in the city of Kaposvar last week.
According to the rightwing premier current penalties for serious crime were too lenient and death penalty should be "kept on the agenda" in Hungary.
Hungary abolished capital punishment in 1990, fulfilling a key condition for membership of the European Union, which it joined in 2004.
The European Commission has refrained from commenting on President Rumen Radev's call for a referendum on Bulgaria's entry into the eurozone
Thousands of Slovak citizens took to the streets in Bratislava and other cities on the night of May 9 to protest Prime Minister Robert Fico’s attendance at the Moscow parade
European Union member states have given the green light to establish a tribunal aimed at prosecuting Russian leaders for their roles in the invasion of Ukraine
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has unveiled an additional €3 billion allocation aimed at addressing migration challenges
May 9 serves as a dual symbol, marking both the end of World War II and the birth of a united Europe
The European Commission has responded to allegations of sabotage involving the F-16 fighter jet recently delivered to Bulgaria
Google Street View Cars Return to Bulgaria for Major Mapping Update
Housing Prices Soar in Bulgaria’s Major Cities as Demand and Supply Strain Increase