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McGrath biztos: Magyarország népéért reformáljon, ne az EU miatt
EU igazságügyi biztos Euronews-interjúban lehűti várakozásokat: a befagyasztott magyar uniós pénzek egyhamar nem szabadulnak fel
BŐVEBBEN : http://hu.euronews.com/2026/05/29/mcgrath-biztos-magyarorszag-nepeert-reformaljon-ne-az-eu-miatt
Iratkozzon fel: Az Euronews elérhető 12 nyelven
EU igazságügyi biztos Euronews-interjúban lehűti várakozásokat: a befagyasztott magyar uniós pénzek egyhamar nem szabadulnak fel
BŐVEBBEN : http://hu.euronews.com/2026/05/29/mcgrath-biztos-magyarorszag-nepeert-reformaljon-ne-az-eu-miatt
Iratkozzon fel: Az Euronews elérhető 12 nyelven
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NewsTranscript
00:07Hello and welcome to the program. I'm Stefan Grobe. My guest today has been described as
00:13conservative, both socially and economically, with an excellent grasp of economics and a strong
00:19attention to detail. Something that served him well when he was Irish Minister for Finance and
00:24Minister for Public Expenditure and now as EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of
00:30Law and Consumer Protection. Michael McGrath, thank you for coming on the show today. Thank you, Stefan.
00:37Pleasure to be here with you. So when I was researching your approach to politics, I found
00:42this quote of yours and it goes like this. Everyone should have the opportunity to progress irrespective
00:49of their background. There should be a safety net for everyone who needs it. Now, to me, that doesn't
00:55sound like a conservative politician. That sounds like Obama. Well, I'm not sure about these labels
01:01anymore, but I'm happy to talk about myself and my views and my journey. And I think that quote
01:08reflects where I came from. I came from a very normal, humble, working class background in Cork,
01:15in Ireland and 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. So the point I was
01:28making there was that every person deserves to have that opportunity to progress and to create a better
01:37future for themselves and their families. And that is what good societies and good economies can create,
01:44is that opportunity for progression. And it has to be coupled with the safety net that I referred
01:50to there because there will be times in people's lives and there will be people in circumstances
01:55where support is needed. And I think in Europe, we have a very strong social market economy.
02:01And I think that in many ways is our USP. You started your political career when you were in your
02:09early
02:0920s as a local council member. Now, that vast experience in Irish politics, what did it teach you
02:18to tackle the issues here in Brussels? It taught me the importance of staying connected to people
02:26people that you represent, which in electoral politics, that is your role. It's a representational
02:31role. In Irish politics, in particular, elected representatives are very close to the people
02:37that they represent and are really anchored in their local communities. And if you don't continue with
02:43that work, even as a member of parliament and even as a government minister, you 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 and then moved up through
03:03the different levels. So it taught me the importance of listening to people, trying to understand where
03:09people were coming from on different issues and 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. And I think it has changed through the
03:25currency of social media as well. That's certainly the big shift that I experienced and I saw from the
03:31time that I came into politics to the time that I left Irish politics to become a European commissioner.
03:37It 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 in the broadest we will bring forward,
03:57a European commission recommendation on safety in politics. But for me, it's crucial that we remove barriers to entry
04:03and that people who have something to offer and who are willing to become involved in public life take on
04:11that 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. But across Europe, trust in democratic institutions is falling.
04:27Where do you think has the EU failed its citizens? Why is that the case?
04:37Well, I think it's a complex story and we have 27 member states and you will find different levels of
04:44satisfaction and indeed trust across the European Union.
04:49I think it's important that politics delivers for people. If people feel that there is a disconnect between them and
04:57their 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, including those serving at a local level and a regional level
05:14and those of us who are privileged to serve at a European level, that we work for people and we
05:19always 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, too moralizing, disconnected from
05:41everyday concerns.
05:42How serious is this problem for you, for the European Union?
05:47You know, when I sit back and think about it, I genuinely believe that the EU is the best place
05:52in the world to live and to work and to have a family and to grow old.
05:58When you think about our values, what we stand for, the 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, first of all, you know, peace
06:18on 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, the EU has been probably the
06:31most 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?
06:46Well, look, 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, improved the quality
07:00of life of EU citizens,
07:02has 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 if
07:22the European Union did not exist,
07:23and in my mind it would be a much poorer place, and it would be a place where the quality
07:29of 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 and acknowledge
07:38where 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 and all
07:59of those rights that I spoke about,
08:00but also acknowledging that there have been times when the EU has overdone it on the question of regulation and
08:07red 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.
08:17And 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 by the old
08:36government under Orban
08:39so 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 to
08:55rule of law
08:56and to introducing the necessary reforms in Hungary and, indeed, undoing 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 in the
09:30interest 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 and freedoms and privileges
09:42that European Union membership confers on people.
09:45I think about the Hungarian students, many of whom have been denied access to Erasmus, not because of the EU,
09:52but 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.
10:05The new Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, has called on several top office holders from the Orban era to resign, including
10:15the current president.
10:16And 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 that
10:31there will be issues and there will be changes in personnel.
10:35I think that is normal in such a scenario.
10:40What is important is the due process is always followed and that the rights of every individual citizen, including those
10:47serving in public office, are respected.
10:51So 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,
10:59that you have recourse to appeals mechanisms, you 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's inevitable when you have such a significant shift in the political landscape.
11:17But it's 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.
11:29And 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, where we look at every single country in the EU under
11:42a number of headings.
11:43There's also this new legislative initiative in Hungary to amend the constitution so that a prime minister can only serve
11:51for 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 to decide on matters such
12:07as that.
12:07When it comes to electoral politics and electoral matters and the conduct of elections,
12:13it's a national competence and we respect the competence of the member states to make decisions of that nature.
12:19Good. You mentioned electoral politics.
12:22We've seen interference, fake news, propaganda online ahead of elections in Europe.
12:30Should social media platforms be legally liable when disinformation campaigns threaten elections in Europe?
12:38Well, they already have clear obligations under the Digital Services Act, including in relation to the integrity of electoral processes
12:49and the impact that content disseminated on the platform may have on those electoral processes.
12:55It 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, led by the executive vice president, Tenevere Cunnan, are
13:08doing a lot of work in this space.
13:10And there are actions underway under the DSA to make sure that those obligations are upheld.
13:18And fundamentally, Stefan, what we want to see in the European Union is a situation where every citizen gets to
13:24exercise 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, not
14:04just the DSA,
14:05but 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 because we know the impact that they
14:19could have if they are released in the days leading up to an election.
14:23And the quality is getting better and better.
14:25Let's be honest.
14:26It can be increasingly difficult for all of us, I think, to distinguish between what's real now and what's AI
14:32-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 that I spoke about
14:45earlier on without undue interference.
14:47You 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.
15:08No, I think they do.
15:10If you put aside the rhetoric that we hear from time to time, I think U.S. Big Tech recognise
15:16that the European Union is a fantastic market for them to be operating in.
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, which, by the way, is now being
15:34examined and replicated around the world.
15:37Wherever I travel on behalf of the European Commission, I get asked about the DSA, about the AI Act by
15:43other countries who are looking at it because they are further back on the journey and they have not introduced
15:49measures that are proportionate and balanced.
15:53Of course, we keep all of this under review and that's why we have brought forward certain targeted amendments to
15:58the AI Act, for example.
16:00I've brought forward amendments to the GDPR.
16:03We always have to be conscious of the interplay between different instruments of EU regulation that we have.
16:09We have to make sure the law is clear, consistent and can be enforced uniformly around the European Union.
16:16But I think the big tech firms, including the AI companies that you mentioned, recognise that there is a need
16:23for guardrails because we want AI to serve us rather than the other way around.
16:29We want to have control as human beings about how AI is helping us to bring about positive changes in
16:37our working lives, in our personal lives and in our wider society.
16:41I have to ask you this.
16:42You're a family man.
16:43You're a father of seven.
16:44Do you support restricted access to social media for kids, something that has been discussed in various countries?
16:53Should 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.
17:03We haven't made any decision yet.
17:04As you know, President von der Leyen set up an expert panel on child safety online.
17:10We expect that they will report back in the coming weeks and the Commission will then make a decision on
17:16next 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, you know, 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 on the role
17:43of social media and the impact on children.
17:46And I'm looking at this issue in a wider way through the Digital Fairness Act I'll bring forward later on
17:52this year,
17:53which will involve measures to better protect children online.
17:56But on your question on social media, you know, you have a spectrum of options from the so-called hard
18:02ban 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?
18:16For 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, no decision made yet.
18:28On that note, you're also in charge of consumer protection.
18:32Yes.
18:32Now, why do many Europeans still feel powerless against big tech platforms when it comes to scams, addictive algorithms and
18:44misuse 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, we have the highest standards in the world
18:58in 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 consumer protection laws, they have not been designed with the digital
19:14age in mind.
19:15And so when we speak about issues like dark patterns and addictive design and unfair personalisation or dynamic pricing when
19:23it comes to being on a queue to buy a concert ticket, these issues need to be examined.
19:30Subscription traps where you sign up to a free trial and it just rolls on into a permanent commitment that
19:35you find difficult to get out of.
19:36They're the very kind of issues that I and my team are now working through in the context of this
19:41Digital Fairness Act, which 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. Pleasure.
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