2023-06-01 15:48:00
With a large majority, the European Parliament is demanding a suspension of the Hungarian EU Council Presidency. 442 out of 619 MPs approved a resolution on Thursday that cast doubt on Hungary’s suitability to take over the EU Council Presidency in mid-2024. The document has no legal implications. According to Parliament, however, it should send a signal.
A majority of the European People’s Party, Social Democrats, Liberals, Greens and Left voted in favor of the resolution. 144 deputies were against, 33 mandataries abstained. Austria’s EU parliamentarians voted for it, with the exception of the FPÖ deputies.
The Austrian government, on the other hand, is extremely interested in good relations with Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s cabinet, as it wants to work with the neighboring country to manage migration. It is up to Hungary to prevent migrants who get there via the EU’s external border from continuing their journey to Central and Western Europe.
Therefore, Vienna would hardly agree if Budapest were to be deprived of rights. It is unlikely that there will be a vote at all. Because with this procedure, which the EU Commission would first have to initiate, the member states would have to vote unanimously for the withdrawal of rights.
“Responding to Citizens’ Expectations”
Nevertheless, the EU mandataries are pushing for further action. Above all, they do not see sufficient progress in overcoming Hungary’s problems with the rule of law: They therefore demand the consistent continuation of the ongoing Article 7 procedure for violations of fundamental rights. In addition, EU funds have been frozen due to problems with corruption.
The resolution also condemns Hungary’s anti-European Union communication campaigns: MEPs say the government in Budapest is trying to divert attention from its disregard for EU values and its systemic corruption. MEPs are also calling on the Hungarian government to bring its electoral conduct in line with international standards, especially in view of the upcoming European elections in 2024.
In a broadcast, Parliament stressed that by adopting this resolution it was responding to citizens’ expectations. These demanded the systematic upholding of the rule of law in all EU countries, in particular by protecting European values and the EU budget.
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