00:00In Brussels, and now for the view from the European Commission headquarters, the Burlimont,
00:04coming up we'll be joined by Michael McGrath, that's Ireland's European Commissioner,
00:08in charge of rule of law, democracy, justice and consumer protection. An Irish Fianna Fáil
00:13politician, Michael McGrath, was a senior government minister in the past, including
00:17the country's finance minister until 2024. So we're pleased to have you with us today in the
00:22studio. You're welcome. Thank you, Maeve. Good to be here. So as I said, we're following here in
00:26Brussels, that story in Spain very carefully. Spanish people are shocked. As the Commissioner
00:31for Democracy and Rule of Law, what is your reaction to this kind of scandal?
00:34Well, clearly we don't comment on individual cases, but the policy of the European Commission
00:39towards corruption is very clear. We have to have a zero tolerance policy across the European Union.
00:47What is most important is that the national authorities in any given case are allowed to
00:53do their work without any interference, that they follow the evidence and they take the case to
00:59its appropriate end point. We have recently reached agreement on a new anti-corruption directive
01:06in the European Union. So that will be transposed in the next couple of years, which harmonises
01:11the definition of corruption offences and also harmonises penalties. The reality is that corruption
01:18corruption is insidious. It takes from valuable public resources and it fundamentally undermines
01:25public trust in institutions and in democracy itself. So it's crucial that all member states
01:30tackle it and we deal with it in the Rule of Law report. Especially this issue. One of the
01:34investigations is actually about alleged attempts from the Socialist Party to sabotage or obstruct
01:40judicial investigations. So it's a very serious matter you're dealing with here that could
01:43impact indeed people's public trust in institutions. Yeah, as I say, the case itself, I don't have the
01:49details, nor should I, and it will take its normal course. But every year we do an annual Rule of
01:54Law
01:54report, which will be published now in July of this year. It looks at every single country of the
02:00European Union across a number of headings, including under the heading of corruption, and examines the
02:07country's track record of investigating, prosecuting and securing convictions in respect of corruption
02:14cases. Particularly high level corruption cases, because of course the more senior the level, then the more
02:19serious the damage is done to public trust and indeed to the institutions themselves.
02:25And let's talk about Hungary. The Viktor Orban era is over. Peter Maillard is in Brussels for talks.
02:31Will he get those billions of funds back, do you think?
02:34So the Prime Minister will be meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission President, tomorrow.
02:39We have made a good start in resetting the relations with the Hungarian government. We are there as a
02:47commission to work with them and support them on the path to restoring rule of law and commitment to
02:55respecting fundamental rights of all citizens in Hungary.
02:58Sounds like they're not ready then. Are they ready then? Sounds like, from what you're saying, they're not ready.
03:02Discussions are ongoing. I will be visiting Budapest next week and I'll be meeting with the new Hungarian
03:08Justice Minister again to agree on the reforms and look at the progress that they intend to make over
03:15the months ahead. We are there to work with them and support them.
03:18Why was there so much confusion and mystery about the meeting between Ursula von der Leyen and Peter Maillard?
03:22I'm not sure there was mystery or confusion, but these things often are only nailed down quite late on.
03:29That's the reality, given schedules and timetables. I don't know the detail of their engagement,
03:34but the important thing is that they will meet and they will continue the substantive discussions
03:38on the issue at hand. And that is about how the European Commission can support the new Hungarian
03:44government in their efforts to restore rule of law in Hungary and ensure that the necessary reforms
03:51can be implemented. So we will support them. And so far, they have demonstrated a very clear
03:56and steadfast commitment on this path, which will help to serve the best interests of the Hungarian
04:02citizens at the end of the day. And just back on your file, when it comes to tech, et cetera,
04:06you'll be coming out soon with a proposal to wean off our dependency on big US tech, promote our own
04:11homegrown cloud technology, et cetera. Can you confirm this plan?
04:14Peter Maillard So this will be led by my colleague,
04:17the Executive Vice President, Hennifer Cunnan. It is a tech sovereignty package and it is consistent
04:23with the overall policy direction that the European Union is currently taking. It needs to be seen
04:29alongside all of the other measures that we have brought forward so far in this commission in the
04:35last 18 months, designed to improve our competitiveness. Yes, have a focus on strategic autonomy,
04:41but at a time when there is so much upheaval, geopolitical uncertainty and indeed economic
04:47volatility, we do need to make sure that on key strategic issues that the European Union is
04:54supporting its indigenous industries and that we have access to the critical services and indeed
04:59materials that we need. Okay, Commissioner Michael McGrath, thank you so much for joining us here this
05:04morning on Europe Today.
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