Hungary’s government has announced it will not implement a ruling by the European Union’s top court on its child protection law, escalating a long-running legal and political clash between Budapest and Brussels.
Outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a letter to President Tamás Sulyok that the government would refuse to comply with the judgment, arguing that it raises serious political, legal, and constitutional concerns.
The dispute centres on Hungary’s child protection legislation, which the Court of Justice of the European Union recently found to breach EU law, including rules related to fundamental rights. Officials in Budapest, however, insist the issue falls within national competence and is tied to the country’s constitutional identity.
Orbán, in his letter, argued that the ruling infringes on Hungary’s sovereignty and constitutional identity, adding that protecting children’s physical and moral development requires strict national regulation that cannot be overridden by external institutions.
Government figures, including leader of the Fidesz parliamentary group, Gergely Gulyás, have stressed that the law reflects strong domestic backing, noting that more than three million voters supported it in a 2022 referendum. They argue that protecting children’s physical and moral development justifies strict regulation, particularly regarding content aimed at minors.
Shortly after the Hungarian elections, the Court of Justice of the European Union issued a ruling against Hungary in a case brought by Brussels concerning a Hungarian law designed to protect children from perpetrators of pedophile crimes.
