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Barroso Calls on Hungary’s Orban to Withdraw Laws, Origo Says

By Edith Balazs - 2011-12-20T07:04:06Z

European Commission President Jose Barroso called on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to withdraw planned laws on the central bank and financial stability, news website Origo reported, citing a letter from Barroso that it obtained.

“I’d strongly encourage you to withdraw the two cardinal laws that are now in front of parliament,” Barroso said, according to Origo.

The European Union “has strong concerns” that the law on the Magyar Nemzeti Bank goes against the bloc’s rules and “problems” surrounding the two drafts led to the interruption of talks between Hungary, the EU and the IMF earlier, according to the letter, Origo said.

Peter Szijjarto, Orban’s spokesman, confirmed the receipt of a letter from Barroso, adding that “we’re not entitled to divulge its contents,” state news service MTI said today.

To contact the reporter on this story: Edith Balazs in Budapest at ebalazs1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James M. Gomez at jagomez@bloomberg.net