An eight-member delegation from the European Parliament is scheduled to visit Hungary from October 26 to 28, 2026, to review developments since the April elections, Telex reported. The committee on civil liberties, justice and home affairs has planned meetings with senior government officials, parliamentary committees, opposition parties, the Constitutional Court, the National Judicial Council, anti-corruption bodies, civil society organizations, and the press.
Eight Political Factions Form European Parliament Delegation
The eight visiting members represent eight distinct political factions in the European Parliament. Liberal lawmaker Sophie Wilmès will chair the delegation. Fidesz representative László András participates as the sole Hungarian member. The delegation also includes representatives from far-left and far-right groups, alongside Greens European Parliament member Tineke Strik.
Strik serves as the rapporteur for the Article 7 procedure initiated against Hungary by the European Parliament in 2018. That procedure has remained stalled without definitive forward or backward movement. The mechanism could theoretically suspend certain rights derived from EU membership, including a government’s voting rights, if member state ministers determine a serious and persistent breach of EU foundational values. However, member states remain far from reaching that threshold.
Strik stated in May that the October mission serves as the optimal moment to consult directly with stakeholders regarding whether they feel satisfied with how institutional mechanisms function in practice. Strik noted that these discussions might potentially lead to a report featuring a withdrawal proposal.
Patriots for Europe Request Investigation into Detentions
The delegation and faction of former governing parties, Patriots for Europe, recently requested that the committee investigate the detention circumstances of Balázs Hankó, Miklós Seszták, and Balázs Bús. The official program does not list such an inquiry, and the committee is unlikely to pursue it. During last year’s visit, the Patriots for Europe group delegated no members, choosing instead to skip participation. Officials from the former government characterized that delegation as an attack against Hungary, alleging external orchestration, despite European Parliament delegations regularly visiting various member states.
