EP launches procedure against Hungary

EP launches procedure against Hungary

Wiith 448 votes for, 197 against and 48 abstentions, the MPs adopted a report recommending the activation of procedure under Article 7 of the Treaty on the European Union, according to which Hungary may be punished to the extent that it is stripped of the right to vote.

The EP condemned the systematic endangerment of EU values in Hungary and called on the EU to react by launching the procedure under Article 7, which is the most radical measure for a country that does not abide by European rules, global media have reported.

The European Commission in 2017 launched the procedure against Poland over its judicial reform, but this is the first time the EP has exercised its right to ask the EU to decide on the state of the rule of law in a member state.

The next steps are now to be taken by the Foreign Affairs Council and the Austrian presidency of the Council of the EU.