In its article entitled “Hungarian secret services also assisted with the Lex CEU” published on the hvg.hu news portal on 1 June 2017 at 4:32 p.m., Márta Demeter MP and the publisher of the article incorrectly interpreted the reply provided by the Director General of the Constitution Protection Office to a previous query from a Member of Parliament. The article gives the impression that if the Constitution Protection Office acts while taking into account all of the laws and stipulations of the Hungarian legal system, and not “just” in accordance with the Act on National Security Services, then it is breaking the law.

Based on the published article, the MP and editorial staff have an extremely incomplete knowledge of the fundamental regulations governing the operation and activities of the secret services. In addition to the Act on National Security Services, the duties of the Constitution Protection Office are also determined by several other laws and regulations, including amongst others the Fundamental Law (Constitution), the Act on Legislation, the Act on Central Public Administration and the Act on the Legal Status of the Members of the Cabinet and State Secretaries, as well as the Government Decree on the Cabinet’s Order of Business and the Government Decree on the National Security Cabinet.

In view of the above, it is understandable that Márta Demeter is calling for Members of Parliament to receive training, within the framework of which they will receive information on the structure of the secret services and the fundamental regulations governing their operation and activities.

(Ministry of Interior Department of Communication)