BRUSSELS, Belgium, July 24, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Hungary falls well short of EU democratic standards, notably on corruption, bribery, political funding, conflicts of interest and lack of media independence, according to a European Commission evaluation published Thursday.

The damning assessment, contained in the commission's annual rule of law report for countries in the European Union and some hoping to join it, underlined a growing rift between Brussels and Budapest.

Hungary -- which currently holds the EU presidency -- has infuriated its EU partners on a range of issues.

They include perceived democratic backsliding in many domestic areas, stalling aid for Ukraine, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban conducting rogue diplomacy with Moscow to see on what terms the Kremlin might agree to end its war.

"Hungary is a real systemic issue for the commission about the rule of law," EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders told a news conference presenting the report.

Not only has Budapest made minimal to no progress on rule of law breaches identified in the last annual EU report, but a further eight breaches have since been found.

"I think that's an absolute record for the rule of law report," one EU official said on condition of not being identified.