EU Parliament to consider sanctions against Hungary over 'decline of democracy'
Illustrative photo: The European Parliament may impose sanctions against Hungary over threats to European values (Getty Images)
Members of the European Parliament plan to call on the EU Council to impose sanctions against Hungary. They believe the country poses a threat to the values of the European Union and its rule of law, according to the website of the European Parliament.
Today, November 5, the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties adopted the second interim report regarding the procedure under Article 7 of the Treaty on the European Union.
The procedure was launched against Hungary in 2018 due to a rule of law crisis and systematic violations of European values.
The report is expected to be discussed during the European Parliament’s plenary session, which will take place in Strasbourg on November 24–27. A vote on a corresponding resolution based on the report is also scheduled for that session.
The draft resolution proposes imposing sanctions against Hungary.
"The European Parliament ... deeply regrets that the lack of decisive action by the Commission and the Council has contributed to the decline of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary," the document states.
According to the report, the situation in Hungary "poses a threat to all the values of the European Union and its rule of law."
MEPs emphasized that democracy no longer exists in the country, which has turned into a "hybrid regime of electoral autocracy." They also called on the EU Council to activate the procedure against Budapest under Article 7(2) of the Treaty on the European Union.
The Hungarian prime minister has repeatedly tried to turn his country’s citizens against Ukraine’s European integration, using various pretexts. In particular, he has warned that Hungary’s economy "will be destroyed" if Ukraine joins the EU.
RBC-Ukraine previously reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Orbán is effectively supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin by blocking Ukraine’s path to EU membership.
