Most EU legislators believe that the Commission’s decision to allocate funds was not based on objective improvements.

Most political groups in the European Parliament want to investigate the European Commission’s decision to unfreeze funds allocated to Hungary, and then file a case in the EU’s highest court for a vote of no confidence and strip Hungary of its voting rights.

Euractiv writes that the Commission allocated 10.2 billion euros to Hungary on December 13, on the eve of the EU summit on support for Ukraine, in the hope of preventing the threat of a breakdown in negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU.

While the green light was expected, it quickly sparked outrage, with EU lawmakers accusing the Commission of giving in to Hungary’s “blackmail.”

It is expected that on Thursday, January 18, parliament will approve a resolution with strict language. Key points in the document are a call on the Council to strip Hungary of its voting rights under Article 7.2 of the EU treaty and to open a parliamentary inquiry to determine the legality of the Commission’s decision to unfreeze Hungarian funds, with a view to opening proceedings before the Court of Justice of the EU.

Article 7.2 provides that Parliament, with the approval of a two-thirds majority, can call Hungary to account before the European Council for violations of the rule of law, after which EU national leaders can decide to strip the country of its voting rights.

Parliament will also “instruct its Legal Affairs Committee to take, as soon as possible, the necessary steps in relation to the Commission decision leading to the unfreezing of €10.2 billion, including a legal service review under Rule 149, with a view to reviewing the legality of the decision… before the Court “, says the draft resolution.

“We are also sending a strong signal to the Commission: if they simply distribute billions of euros to circumvent the Hungarian veto, they will not get away with it. (…). Because the rule of law does not work in Hungary, the European Parliament is bringing this action against the Commission,” – one of the leading developers of the resolution, Green MEP Daniel Freund, told Euractiv.

Most EU lawmakers believe the Commission’s decision to allocate funds was not based on objective improvements in the judiciary and the rule of law in Hungary, as the EU executive claims.

Hungary’s problem in the EU – latest news

In Hungary, over the past 13 years, violations of the principles of the rule of law and democratic institutions have been recorded, as well as accusations of persecution of religious and sexual minorities. Because of this, Viktor Orban was officially recognized as an autocrat in the European Union.

An additional reason for irritation with Hungary in the EU was Orban’s position on the war in Ukraine. Budapest not only refuses to help Ukraine with weapons and money, but also in every possible way blocks joint assistance from the EU, using the right of veto.