Reuters. Hungary will create an anti-corruption authority and a working group involving non-government organisations to oversee the spending of European Union funds, the government said in a decree in its official gazette late on Monday.
The move by Budapest is aimed at unlocking EU funds as nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government is locked in battles with Brussels over corruption, migration, human rights and democratic standards.
The European Commission has been withholding its approval for Hungary to draw on money meant to help lift economies from the COVID-19 pandemic, accusing Orban's government of undermining the rule of law.
Hungary also faces financial penalties from the European Union over the same rule of law issues, including public tender procedures that fall short on anti-corruption safeguards.
The government will introduce a bill in parliament creating an independent anti-corruption authority by Sept. 30 and expects it to be set up by Nov. 21.
The new body will step in if Hungarian authorities do not take sufficient steps to "prevent, investigate and fix cases of fraud, conflict of interest, corruption or other crimes and abuses" as European Union funds are spent, the decree said.
Orban's government has come under increased pressure in recent months to strike a deal with Brussels as the forint currency hit new lows and inflation keeps surging.
