Austria urges Hungary to follow EU rules

(BUDAPEST) - Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger urged Hungary to get in line with European law after a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban Friday, .

"Both the spirit and the letter of the EU rules must be respected," Spindelegger, who is also vice-chancellor, said after the meeting, which he initiated "to get a clear view of the position" of Austria's neighbour.

"We do not want to make Hungary suffer but want to deal with the issues on a rational basis, without politicking," he added.

Spindelegger's visit came after the EU executive launched legal proceedings this week against three Hungarian reforms affecting the independence of the central bank, the retirement age of judges and the independence of the data protection authority.

Orban meanwhile said he was ready to fulfill the Commission's request to change the criticised laws, even if some of them in his view were fully in accordance with EU law.

"I do not take into consideration the weight of the arguments, but the extent of the power which wants us to change," Orban said.

"Therefore we will modify (the disputed laws)."

Hungary was given a month to change the laws, which have impeded talks over a 20-billion-euro (25-billion-dollars) credit from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union.

Orban is to meet European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in Brussels on Tuesday, and "a political agreement" would probably be reached then, the Hungarian prime minister said earlier.