Members of the European Parliament have voted to support the findings of Greens/EFA MEP, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield’s report into the “Existence of a clear risk of a serious breach by Hungary of the values on which the Union is founded”. The report states that Hungary has moved from being a democracy to a ‘hybrid regime of electoral autocracy’.
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Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, Greens/EFA MEP and European Parliament rapporteur, comments:
“For the first time, an EU institution is stating the sad truth, that Hungary is no longer a democracy. Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party have put their time and effort into tearing apart the fabric of democracy and ripping up the rule of law instead of supporting their citizens. As a result, Hungary is no longer a democracy, it is now a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy.
“The costs for Hungarian citizens are clear: They are having their rights removed and opportunities undermined, all while their state is stripped apart by autocracts and oligarchs. It is not too late to repair the damage to democracy, but it will require a united front from the EU and its Member States.
“The large majority we have in the Parliament is unprecedented, which should be a wake up call for the Commission and Council. Yesterday, President von der Leyen said that It is the Commission's duty to protect the rule of law, and we expect her to act on these words in Hungary.
“The Council must act on the contents of this report when they next discuss the Article 7 procedure. The time for talking is over, European Member States must come out with clear recommendations for the Hungarian government on how to return to the path of democracy and the rule of law.”
The report serves as an update to the vote of the European Parliament in September 2018, from then Greens/EFA MEP Judith Sargentini, which initiated the Article 7 procedure against the Hungarian government. The details of this report can now be discussed by Member States in the General Affairs Council. The next General Affairs Council will take place on October 18th. The Greens/EFA Group are calling on the Czech Presidency to ensure that the Council adopts recommendations on the rule of law, with a deadline to act for the Hungarian government.
Hungary is no longer a "full democracy" and the EU needs to do everything to bring it back into line with European values, the European Parliament said Thursday.
MEPs voted 433 in favour, 123 against, to now describe Hungary -- ruled by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who maintains close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin -- "a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy" in "serious breach" of EU democratic norms.
The vote was largely symbolic and does not change the course of EU decision making, which requires unanimity of all 27 member states -- including Hungary -- to adopt major issues, such as sanctions on Russia.
With their vote, the EU lawmakers roundly adopted a parliamentary report that said Hungary has been backsliding on democratic and fundamental rights since 2018 through the "deliberate and systematic efforts of the Hungarian government".
The report said lack of action by EU institutions, including the commission which is tasked as "guardian" of the EU treaties enshrining democratic standards, had exacerbated the degradation.
While EU countries are treading a careful line around Hungary because of the need to win its assent on major decisions, diplomats privately are frustrated with Orban's cosy relationship with the Kremlin and his blocking of further sanctions on Moscow.
The commission has likewise been careful to avoid overt criticism, but unease over Hungary's swerve away from rule of law, particularly in failing to curb corruption, is becoming more evident.
Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday, in her State of the European Union address to the European Parliament, that the EU "must fight for our democracies".
She said her EU executive would work to protect the member states "from the external threats they face, and from the vices that corrode them from within," notably calling out corruption although not naming Hungary directly.
She pledged legislative action to step up the fight against corruption, including against "illicit enrichment, trafficking in influence and abuse of power".
Her EU justice commissioner, Didier Reynders, told MEPs in a debate on rule of law breaches in Hungary that the commission "shares a large number of concerns expressed by the European Parliament" regarding Budapest.
The European Parliament in 2018 launched a procedure against the risk Hungary posed to European democratic values.
