Reform

• President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr is implementing a series of business-friendly reforms to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and compete with regional rivals like Vietnam and Malaysia. • Key initiatives include new laws regarding taxation and governance, extended land leasing options, and ambitious infrastructure upgrades to the nation's power grid, ports, and railways. • These efforts aim to capitalize on the global shift of supply chains as companies move operations away from China due to ongoing trade tensions and tariffs with Washington.

• Hungary's opposition party, Fidesz, has petitioned the Constitutional Court to review four major laws recently passed by Prime Minister Péter Magyar's Tisza government. • Fidesz argues that these reforms violate the nation's Fundamental Law and represent an attempt by Magyar to establish an "autocratic rule." • Party representative Tuzson accused the government of taking coercive measures that undermine the rule of law and threaten Hungary's constitutional order.

• Sonam Wangchuk is a prominent activist focusing on climate change, environmental conservation, education reform, and democratic rights. • He initially supported the 2019 decision by the Centre to revoke Article 370 and establish Ladakh as a separate Union Territory. • Wangchuk believed that direct governance from Delhi would accelerate regional development and improve administrative efficiency for the people of Ladakh.

• The European Commission released a new report praising the Hungarian government for making significant progress on sweeping rule of law reforms. • Despite the progress, the EU warned that the election process for the prosecutor general and the prosecution service's structure still risk "undue political interference." • While the report rated Hungary's justice system as efficient, it noted a lack of structured measures regarding the ongoing salary increases for judges and prosecutors.

• The European Commission is urging Spain and Hungary to implement stronger anti-corruption reforms to improve judicial and transparency safeguards. • According to an annual Rule of Law report seen by POLITICO, Spain has made only limited progress in updating asset declaration requirements and conflict-of-interest rules for senior officials. • These measures are critical for ensuring the integrity of public administration and upholding the EU's legal standards across member states.

• South Korea is currently embroiled in a controversy regarding the reform of its criminal justice system to reduce the "inordinate powers" held by prosecutors. • The proposed reforms aim to implement a separation of powers by compartmentalizing the investigation, prosecution, and trial phases among different parties. • This shift is intended to prevent judicial prejudice and the abuse of power, mirroring legal models used in France and other developed liberal democracies.

• The ruling Democratic Party of Korea has indicated it may slow the pace of its controversial prosecutorial reform plan following mounting criticism. • Concerns have been raised that the proposed revisions, including changes to the Criminal Procedure Act, could weaken legal protections for victims seeking justice. • A subcommittee of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee met at the National Assembly on Wednesday to review the bills, though People Power Party lawmakers boycotted the session.