On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a report condemning the “deliberate and systematic efforts of the Hungarian government” to undermine European values ​​and demanding results in the process set out in Article 7 of the EU Treaty.

Budapest, HungaryPhoto: Ferenc Isza / AFP / Profimedia

Conclusions of the EP report:

  • The situation worsened so much that Hungary became an “electoral autocracy”
  • EU inaction compounded the failure; recovery funds should be withheld until the country complies with EU recommendations and court rulings
  • A lack of progress in the Article 7 review process would constitute a violation of the rule of law by the Council

In a press release published on Thursday, MEPs said that the lack of decisive EU action has contributed to the emergence of a “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy”, namely a constitutional system in which elections are held but respect for democratic norms and standards is absent. .

The report, adopted by MEPs on Thursday by 433 votes to 123 with 28 abstentions, builds on the report with which the European Parliament launched the Article 7 procedure in 2018 to provide an overview of developments in 12 areas of Parliament’s interest. It thus demonstrates how the values ​​enshrined in Article 2 of the EU Treaties, including democracy and fundamental rights in this country, have further deteriorated since 2018 due to “deliberate and systematic efforts by the Hungarian government” and have been exacerbated by the EU’s lack of action.

EU institutions must act and bear responsibility

The European Parliament complains about the inability of the EU Council to make significant progress in countering democratic regression. MEPs point out that Article 7(1) does not require unanimity between member states to identify a clear risk of a serious violation of EU values, as well as to provide specific recommendations and deadlines. They claim that any further delay in taking measures under Article 7 to protect EU values ​​in Hungary would constitute a breach of the rule of law by the Council.

Members of the European Parliament call on the Commission to make full use of all the tools at its disposal, in particular the Regulation on budgetary conditions. At a time when EU values ​​are threatened, in particular by Russia’s war against Ukraine and its actions against the EU, they also call on the Commission to:

– refrain from approving Hungary’s recovery and resilience plan until Hungary fully implements all relevant recommendations of the European Semester and complies with all relevant decisions of the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights;

– to exclude from funding those cohesion programs that contribute to the misuse of EU funds or violations of the rule of law; and

– stricter enforcement of the Common Provisions Regulation and the Financial Regulation to combat any misuse of EU funds for political reasons.

The independence of the judicial system, corruption and human freedoms remain key issues of the EP.

Four years after the report that launched the Article 7 review process, MEPs are still concerned about several aspects of democracy and fundamental rights in Hungary. Some of the main areas are the functioning of its constitutional and electoral system, the independence of the judiciary, corruption and conflict of interest, as well as freedom of speech, including media pluralism. Academic freedom, religious freedom, freedom of association, the right to equal treatment, including the rights of LGBTIQ people, the rights of minorities, and the rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees are also problematic.

Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield (Greens/ALE, France), European Parliament rapporteur on the situation in Hungary, said:

  • “The conclusions of this report are clear and undeniable: Hungary is not a democratic state. It was more urgent than ever for Parliament to take this position, given the alarming pace at which the rule of law is regressing in Hungary. In addition to recognizing Fidesz’s autocratic strategy, the overwhelming majority of MEPs supporting this position in the European Parliament is unprecedented. This should be a wake-up call for the Council and the Commission.”

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