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Hungría debe reformarse por su pueblo, no por la UE, afirma el comisario McGrath a Euronews
En una extensa entrevista con Euronews, la comisaria de Justicia de la UE enfrió las expectativas de que los fondos europeos de Hungría congelados se vayan a desbloquear pronto.
MÁS INFORMACIÓN : http://es.euronews.com/2026/05/29/hungria-debe-reformarse-por-su-pueblo-no-por-la-ue-afirma-el-comisario-mcgrath-a-euronews
¡Suscríbete a nuestro canal! Euronews está disponible en 12 idiomas
En una extensa entrevista con Euronews, la comisaria de Justicia de la UE enfrió las expectativas de que los fondos europeos de Hungría congelados se vayan a desbloquear pronto.
MÁS INFORMACIÓN : http://es.euronews.com/2026/05/29/hungria-debe-reformarse-por-su-pueblo-no-por-la-ue-afirma-el-comisario-mcgrath-a-euronews
¡Suscríbete a nuestro canal! Euronews está disponible en 12 idiomas
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00:07Hello and welcome to the program, I'm Stefan Grobe.
00:11My guest today has been described as conservative, both socially and economically,
00:16with an excellent grasp of economics and a strong attention to detail.
00:20Something that served him well when he was Irish Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure,
00:26and now as EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection.
00:33Michael McGrath, thank you for coming on the show today.
00:36Thank you, Stefan. Pleasure to be here with you.
00:38So, when I was researching your approach to politics, I found this quote of yours, and it goes like this,
00:46everyone should have the opportunity to progress irrespective of their background,
00:50there should be a safety net for everyone who needs it.
00:53Now, to me, that doesn't sound like a conservative politician, that sounds like Obama.
00:59Well, I'm not sure about these labels anymore, but I'm happy to talk about myself and my views and my
01:06journey,
01:07and I think that quote reflects where I came from.
01:10I came from a very normal, humble, working-class background in Cork, in Ireland,
01:15and had the great opportunity through education to progress and to follow my own dreams,
01:23which ultimately led me into national politics and now European politics.
01:27So the point I was making there was that every person deserves to have that opportunity to progress
01:36and to create a better future for themselves and their families.
01:40And that is what good societies and good economies can create, is that opportunity for progression.
01:46And it has to be coupled with the safety net that I referred to there,
01:51because there will be times in people's lives and there will be people in circumstances where support is needed.
01:58And I think in Europe, we have a very strong social market economy, and I think that, in many ways,
02:04is our USP.
02:05You started your political career when you were in your early 20s as a local council member.
02:13Now, that vast experience in Irish politics, what did it teach you to tackle the issues here in Brussels?
02:21It taught me the importance of staying connected to people that you represent,
02:28which in electoral politics, that is your role.
02:30It's a representational role.
02:32In Irish politics, in particular, elected representatives are very close to the people that they represent
02:39and are really anchored in their local communities.
02:42And if you don't continue with that work, even as a member of parliament and even as a government minister,
02:48you will not be re-elected.
02:50For me, I started at the age of 22 in my local town, where the population was about 5,000
02:56people,
02:57ran in my first election and served at the most local level of democracy
03:02and then moved up through the different levels.
03:04So it taught me the importance of listening to people,
03:08trying to understand where people were coming from on different issues
03:12and doing your best to represent them and also to provide leadership.
03:16Is Irish politics body sport?
03:18It's tough, but I think politics everywhere is tough now,
03:22and I think it has changed through the currency of social media as well.
03:27That's certainly the big shift that I experienced and I saw from the time that I came into politics
03:32to the time that I left Irish politics to become a European commissioner.
03:38It is 24-7, but the scrutiny and indeed the abuse and the online commentary can be difficult for some
03:47people to grapple with.
03:49And I think we do have to think about safety in politics.
03:53In the broadest, we will bring forward a European commission recommendation on safety in politics.
04:00But for me, it's crucial that we remove barriers to entry and that people who have something to offer
04:06and who are willing to become involved in public life take on that challenge.
04:12It's crucial that they do and that we have a new generation of people coming through.
04:17You are the EU's commissioner for democracy and rule of law.
04:21But across Europe, trust in democratic institutions is falling.
04:28Where do you think has the EU failed its citizens?
04:35Why is that the case?
04:37I think it's a complex story and we have 27 member states
04:41and you will find different levels of satisfaction and indeed trust across the European Union.
04:49I think it's important that politics delivers for people.
04:53If people feel that there is a disconnect between them and their aspirations and their concerns
05:00with what is being conducted in politics, then inevitably their level of trust and their level of support will diminish.
05:08So it's important that everybody in politics, including governments,
05:11including those serving at a local level and a regional level,
05:14and those of us who are privileged to serve at a European level,
05:18that we work for people and that we always think about what is the North Star.
05:22The North Star is what is in the interest of the people that we are there to serve.
05:26And I think if we have that as our guidance, then we won't go far wrong.
05:31Now, there are a lot of Europeans who believe that the EU is being too bureaucratic,
05:37too moralising, disconnected from everyday concerns.
05:42How serious is this problem for you, for the European Union?
05:47You know, when I sit back and think about it,
05:49I genuinely believe that the EU is the best place in the world to live and to work
05:56and to have a family and to grow old.
05:58When you think about our values, what we stand for,
06:01the fact that we do have that social market economy,
06:04where we have a high level of spend, quite rightly,
06:07on social protection and social security supports.
06:11And when you think about what the EU has helped us all to achieve,
06:16first of all, you know, peace on our continent.
06:18We have this brutal war of aggression now by Russia in Ukraine for the last four and a half years.
06:25But in broad terms, if you look at the journey since World War II,
06:29the EU has been probably the most successful peace project in the world.
06:34Why is it then that right-wing populism is gaining ground?
06:38The Eurosceptics, the anti-Europeans, their power is gaining ground in Europe.
06:43Why is that the case?
06:44If you say the EU is the best place.
06:46Look, people will vote for whomever they choose and often for very different reasons.
06:52But I think we have a strong case to make that the European Union has, without question,
06:58improved the quality of life of EU citizens, has created economic opportunity.
07:06Integration has undoubtedly helped all of us.
07:09That right to travel, to work, to study anywhere in the European Union is fundamental.
07:15And if we cast our minds back and we think what life was like and would be like again
07:21if the European Union did not exist, and in my mind it would be a much poorer place
07:26and it would be a place where the quality of life would be greatly, greatly diminished.
07:32So I think, look, we have to look at what works well, but also acknowledge perhaps our failings
07:38and acknowledge where we need to do better.
07:40This new commission is in office for the last 18 months and we are very focused on trying to ease
07:47that burden of regulation,
07:48make life a little bit simpler for citizens, for businesses.
07:52So tap into all that is good about the European Union, the single market of 450 million people
07:58and all of those rights that I spoke about, but also acknowledging that there have been times
08:03when the EU has overdone it on the question of regulation and red tape.
08:08And there is a need now to try to wind some of that back.
08:11And that's what we are trying to do.
08:13One of your core responsibilities is rule of law.
08:17Yeah.
08:17And in the past, the country that created the biggest headaches for the commission was Hungary.
08:24Now Hungary has a new government, a new leadership.
08:28How long will it take for the new government in Hungary to undo all the legal manipulations
08:35by the old government under Orbán so that the frozen funds can be unfrozen?
08:43Well, there will be challenges for sure and there will be complexity and it's not possible to do everything overnight.
08:49From our point of view in the European Commission, what is important is that we see a sustained commitment
08:55to rule of law and to introducing the necessary reforms in Hungary
08:59and indeed on doing some of what was done in recent years.
09:04And in the European Commission, they will find a willing partner and a supportive partner.
09:08That's why I'll visit Budapest next week to meet with my direct counterpart, the Minister for Justice.
09:15It's why the Hungarian Prime Minister is meeting President von der Leyen again tomorrow.
09:20So the contact is ongoing and is intensive.
09:23Good progress is being made and we will support Hungary on their path to restoring rule of law
09:29in the interest of their citizens.
09:31It's not that they need to do this for the EU.
09:33They need to do this for themselves and for the Hungarian people so that they can enjoy the rights and
09:39benefits
09:39and freedoms and privileges that European Union membership confers on people.
09:45I think about the Hungarian students, many of whom have been denied access to Erasmus,
09:50not because of the EU, but because of what the previous Hungarian government did.
09:55So the sooner we can fix these things, the better and that the life experience of ordinary Hungarian citizens is
10:03improved.
10:04And that is what this is all about.
10:06The new Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, has called on several top office holders from the Orbán era to resign,
10:14including the current president.
10:17And he threatened that he will change the constitution if they don't do it.
10:20Is that legitimate?
10:23You know, it is inevitable when you have such a seismic change in the political landscape of a country
10:30that there will be issues and there will be changes in personnel.
10:36I think that is normal in such a scenario.
10:40What is important is the due process is always followed
10:43and that the rights of every individual citizen, including those serving in public office, are respected.
10:50So that is all part of having a good rule of law environment, is that you have checks and balances,
10:56that you have supports in place, that you have recourse to appeals mechanisms,
11:02you have recourse to independent courts in the justice system, for example.
11:07So all of these things are important.
11:09So there will be churn and there will be change in personnel.
11:12It is inevitable when you have such a significant shift in the political landscape.
11:17But it is important also that that is done in a way that respects the rights of individuals.
11:21Are you monitoring the situation?
11:24Of course we are.
11:25We are monitoring the situation in every member state of the European Union.
11:28And my team are now working intensively on the next round of rule of law country chapters,
11:37which we will publish in July of this year,
11:39where we look at every single country in the EU under a number of headings.
11:43There is also this new legislative initiative in Hungary to amend the constitution
11:48so that a prime minister can only serve for two terms,
11:52which would make it impossible for Viktor Orban ever to occupy that post again.
11:58Any comments on this?
11:59That's a matter for the national authorities and for the government in any member state
12:05to decide on matters such as that.
12:07When it comes to electoral politics and electoral matters and the conduct of elections,
12:13it's a national competence.
12:14And we respect the competence of the member states to make decisions of that nature.
12:20Good.
12:20You mentioned electoral politics.
12:22We've seen interference in fake news, propaganda online ahead of elections in Europe.
12:30Should social media platforms be legally liable
12:34when disinformation campaigns threaten elections in Europe?
12:39Well, they already have clear obligations under the Digital Services Act,
12:43including in relation to the integrity of electoral processes
12:49and the impact that content disseminated on the platform may have on those electoral processes.
12:56It may sound quite technical, but they are required to mitigate the systemic risk.
13:00And so our colleagues in DG Connect and the European Commission,
13:04led by the Executive Vice President, Tenevere Cunnan,
13:08are doing a lot of work in this space.
13:10And there are actions underway under the DSA to make sure that those obligations are upheld.
13:17And fundamentally, Stefan, what we want to see in the European Union is a situation where every citizen
13:23gets to exercise their democratic franchise at the ballot box in free and fair elections
13:29and that they get the representatives that they choose.
13:33And that is what our goal is within the European Union.
13:36Now, with artificial intelligence, disinformation is becoming more sophisticated.
13:43Is Europe ready or prepared for this wave of digital manipulation?
13:50I think the whole world is grappling with this issue and struggling to keep pace.
13:56I think in the EU we are better positioned than most because we do have a mature regulatory rulebook,
14:04not just the DSA, but now the AI Act as well.
14:07And we've made some targeted amendments to the AI Act.
14:10So it will involve, for example, the requirement to label AI-generated deepfakes
14:17because we know the impact that they could have if they are released in the days leading up to an
14:23election
14:23and the quality is getting better and better, let's be honest.
14:26It can be increasingly difficult for all of us, I think, to distinguish between what's real now
14:32and what's AI-generated.
14:33So, again, we do have the regulatory rulebook, but enforcement is what matters.
14:39And ultimately, this is about empowering the citizens so that they can make that free decision
14:44that I spoke about earlier on without undue interference.
14:48You mentioned, you said enforcement is key here.
14:51Now, you met with Sam Altman and some other U.S. AI corporate leaders.
14:57Do they understand where we're coming from?
15:00Do they understand European regulation and why it is in place?
15:04I think they do.
15:04Sometimes I feel that we're talking on two different levels here.
15:09No, I think they do.
15:10If you put aside the rhetoric that we hear from time to time,
15:14I think U.S. Big Tech recognise that the European Union is a fantastic market for them to be operating
15:21in.
15:22For many of them, it is their single biggest and most lucrative market in the world.
15:27And I think they recognise that the EU has its own digital rulebook,
15:32which, by the way, is now being examined and replicated around the world.
15:37Wherever I travel on behalf of the European Commission,
15:40I get asked about the DSA, about the AI Act,
15:43by other countries who are looking at it,
15:45because they are further back on the journey
15:47and they have not introduced measures that are proportionate and balanced.
15:52Of course, we keep all of this under review
15:54and that's why we have brought forward certain targeted amendments to the AI Act, for example.
16:00I've brought forward amendments to the GDPR.
16:03We always have to be conscious of the interplay
16:05between different instruments of EU regulation that we have.
16:09We have to make sure the law is clear, consistent
16:11and can be enforced uniformly around the European Union.
16:16But I think the big tech firms, including the AI companies that you mentioned,
16:21recognise that there is a need for guardrails
16:23because we want AI to serve us rather than the other way around.
16:29We want to have control as human beings
16:31about how AI is helping us to bring about positive changes
16:36in our working lives, in our personal lives and in our wider society.
16:41I have to ask you this.
16:42You're a family man, you're a father of seven.
16:45Do you support restricted access to social media for kids?
16:49Something that has been discussed in various countries.
16:54Should the EU consider a blanket ban?
16:57Kids will probably find a way around that, right?
17:00Yeah.
17:00Well, we are considering what to do.
17:02We haven't made any decision yet.
17:05As you know, President von der Leyen set up an expert panel
17:08on child safety online.
17:10We expect that they will report back in the coming weeks
17:13and the Commission will then make a decision on next steps.
17:17I think it is likely that there will be an EU-wide initiative in this space.
17:22I'm not saying that it will be a hard ban or anything of the sort.
17:26How likely?
17:27This is all to be decided.
17:29OK.
17:29Well, we've given the experts a job to do, so let's allow them to do their job.
17:34They'll report back.
17:35They'll make recommendations.
17:36But I think it's a very healthy thing that there is now a mature and open debate
17:41on the role of social media and the impact on children.
17:46And I'm looking at this issue in a wider way through the Digital Fairness Act
17:50I'll bring forward later on this year,
17:52which will involve measures to better protect children online.
17:56But on your question on social media, you know, you have a spectrum of options
18:00from the so-called hard ban that you talk about
18:04to dealing with issues like addictive design, you know, infinite autoplay.
18:11Do we make it easier for parents to exercise oversight and control?
18:15For a lot of parents, it can be very intimidating, trying to understand how to navigate these systems.
18:21And I count myself among them.
18:23It is challenging, I think, for all of us.
18:25So we're looking at a spectrum of options.
18:27No decision made yet.
18:29On that note, you're also in charge of consumer protection.
18:32Now, why do many Europeans still feel powerless against big tech platforms
18:39when it comes to scams, addictive algorithms and misuse of personal data?
18:46So these are among the issues that will feature in the Digital Fairness Act later on this year.
18:53Again, I would say overall that in the area of consumer protection,
18:56we have the highest standards in the world, in the European Union,
19:00but we need to make sure that those protections keep pace with technological development.
19:06And the truth is that when it comes to our consumer protection laws,
19:12they have not been designed with the digital age in mind.
19:15And so when we speak about issues like dark patterns and addictive design
19:19and unfair personalisation or dynamic pricing when it comes to being on a queue to buy a concert ticket,
19:27these issues need to be examined.
19:30Subscription traps where you sign up to a free trial
19:32and it just rolls on into a permanent commitment that you find difficult to get out of.
19:36They're the very kind of issues that I and my team are now working through
19:40in the context of this Digital Fairness Act,
19:42which we'll bring forward before the end of this year.
19:45All right, Michael McGrath, EU Commissioner for Democracy, Rule of Law, Consumer Protection and Justice.
19:53Thank you so much for coming on the show today.
19:55Thank you, Stefan. A pleasure.
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