European Commission looking into points raised by Orbán's Chief Advisor in letter about Beneš Decrees

The European Commission has received a letter and is looking into the issues raised in it, spokesman Markus Lammert said on Friday when Telex queried the body whether the Hungarian government had contacted them on the matter.

The Prime Minister's Chief Advisor responsible for autonomy efforts in the Carpathian Basin, a former MSZP politician, had written a letter to the European Commission about the Beneš Decrees. In an open letter posted on her Facebook page, she expressed concern about the amendment to the Slovak Criminal Code, which could impose prison sentences for criticizing the decrees that declared the collective guilt of Hungarians and Germans in Czechoslovakia after World War II and made their property subject to confiscation. According to Szili, this could violate the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights, among other things.

In response to questions from Gemišt.hu, Szili revealed that she had sent a different version of the letter to the European Commission. In it, she is not only objecting to the new amendment, but also to the Beneš decrees themselves, as expropriations are still taking place in Slovakia based on them today.

(As Gemišt.hu pointed out, this may also constitute a violation of the free movement of capital, one of the fundamental principles of the EU's single market.) According to the article, when asked repeatedly whether she had consulted with the government about the open letter, Szili responded with vague answers such as "I am not obliged to inform anyone in advance," but added that "no one raised any objections" to her letter.

The Slovak government said on Facebook that it sees no reason to change the criminal code, but respects the actions of the Hungarian Prime Minister's Chief Advisor, who turned to the European Commission.

Péter Magyar, president of the Tisza Party had previously reacted to the matter by writing an open letter to Robert Fico. He asked the Slovak Prime Minister to withdraw the amendment and “open the door to dialogue, which can be the basis for peaceful coexistence.”

At the end of December, Gergely Gulyás, Minister of the Prime Minister's Office, said that the government condemns the principle of collective guilt, but the new Slovak law has not yet been applied to anyone, so there is nothing to protest against.