Council must act on Hungary
Rule of law
Today, the European Parliament will debate developments around the rule of law in Hungary after the European Parliament voted on the Rule of Law in Hungary report in September 2018. The report recommended that the Council initiate Article 7 proceedings against the Hungarian government. So far the Council has yet to act on the report.
Judith Sargentini, Greens/EFA MEP and rapporteur on the rule of law in Hungary report comments:
"Throughout the Council's inaction on Hungary since the September European Parliament vote we've seen plenty of action from Viktor Orbán's government. They have introduced a 'slave law' forcing people to work overtime without pay, they have made life so difficult for a major international university that it's had to move to Vienna, all while tightening their grip over the media.
"Hungary is sliding down a dangerous route to authoritarianism. The brave Hungarian citizens protesting know this and international observers know this, and it's time that the Council of the European Union recognise this. We cannot foster autocracy within our Union, which is supposed to be based on democracy and the rule of law. So long as other EU governments stay quiet on the dire situation in Hungary, they are encouraging Orbán to continue on his anti-democratic path.
"If Manfred Weber and the rest of the European People's Party genuinely want to listen to the voices of European citizens, they should speak to Hungarians who are currently seeing their rights stripped away. Every day that Fidesz remains in the ranks of the EPP is an endorsement of the kind of authoritarian policies that run counter to the very values that the EU is built on."
The debate can be followed live here shortly: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/plenary/en/home.html
