The European Commission has referred Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for failing to comply with Directive 2012/34/EU, which requires Member States to establish an independent railway regulatory body.
According to European regulations, this body must be autonomous and completely separate from any public or private regulated entity to ensure the impartiality and proper functioning of the railway market.
Currently, Hungarian law places the Hungarian railway regulator as a unit within the Ministry of Construction and Transport, which, according to Brussels, violates independence requirements and creates risks of conflict of interest.
The Commission underlines that the regulator’s independence is essential to ensuring fair and non-discriminatory access to the rail network and preventing infrastructure managers, operators, and national authorities from interfering in the supervision and enforcement of European rules.
The action reinforces the EU’s commitment to transparency and competition in the rail sector, key pillars for integrating the European single market.
