'Historic petition' aiming to deprive Orban of right to vote launched in EU Parliament
Photo: Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban (Getty Images)
In the European Parliament, a petition has been initiated to deprive the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, of the right to vote in the EU Council, according to Petri Sarvamaa, a Member of the European Parliament.
"This is decisively different from anything we have done so far regarding HU – the procedure foreseen in Article 7(2) Treaty on European Union has never been initiated," the statement says.
The MEP emphasized that the decision-making mechanism in the EU has stalled because of Viktor Orbán.
"It’s now or never. The only way to make it work is to withhold Orban of his right to vote at the Council," he added.
The MEP also believes that this way, the EU can demonstrate the unacceptability of blackmail within its borders. EU members have until Friday to sign the petition, which Sarvamaa called historic, after which it will be sent to the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
Blackmail from Hungary
Last year, the European Union proposed allocating €50 billion to Ukraine by 2027. Unanimous consent from all countries is required for such a decision. However, during the last meeting, Hungary vetoed the proposal. As previously reported by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba, the EU will approve funding for Ukraine with or without Budapest's consent.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, mentioned that an alternative plan for financial support to Ukraine is being prepared in the bloc in case of a lack of consensus among countries.
Politico reported that Hungary is ready to compromise on assisting Ukraine under the condition that the funding is reviewed annually.
