Tuzson: Hungary’s justice system ‘one of the most independent’

Bence Tuzson said the independence of the judiciary was a priority in Hungary and consultations with the European Union had yielded “serious changes”, the effects of which were still in question. The justice ministry, on the other hand, stood ready for negotiations, he told an international conference organised by the Kuria’s (supreme court) Istvan Werboczy Research Institute.

Tuzson said judicial independence entailed judges doing their work free from interference and only being subordinated to laws. But a judge’s work, he added, must not happen in isolation from society, as was sometimes the case in the EU.

Meanwhile, the minister questioned whether the right to a fair trial was fully enforced at the European court of justice.

Andras Zs Varga, the Kuria’s head, said the domestic basis of judicial independence had been assessed, and now it was time to deal with its international aspects, too. He also said a judge should not tolerate interference in his work in court and no one else should have sway over it.