EU slams Hungary, Poland

BRUSSELS: The European Union on Wednesday criticised Hungary and Poland in a report on democratic standards across the bloc, as tensions soar between Brussels and Budapest.

The report on the "rule of law" in all 27 EU countries comes a day after the bloc rejected hardline Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban´s demand for a senior official to resign over criticism of his government.

The assessment prepared by European Commission, the bloc´s executive, voices "serious concern" about judicial independence in Hungary and Poland, according to a summary seen by AFP.