European Parliament approves report on Hungary's violation of EU values and proposes to deprive it of its vote in EU Council

The European Parliament has called on the Council of the EU to recognize Hungary as a "clear risk of a serious breach of the values on which the Union is founded" under Article 7(1) of the EU Treaty and to initiate the next stage of the procedure, which could lead to a restriction of the country's voting rights in the EU Council. This is reported in the resolution following the interim report on the deteriorating rule of law situation in Hungary.

"Hungary's actions have a negative impact on the functioning of the Union's institutions, on mutual trust between Member States and on the very nature of the EU, impairing its effectiveness and undermining the Union's ability to defend fundamental rights, democracy and the rule of law at the international level," the resolution, prepared by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, says.

The document notes that since the start of the Article 7 procedure in 2018, the situation in Hungary has "significantly deteriorated." MEPs emphasize that the continued disregard for democratic standards, judicial independence, media freedom and human rights threatens not only Hungarians but the entire EU.

The document specifically notes that Hungary has "systemic problems with corruption and conflicts of interest."

The European Parliament criticizes the EU Council for its inaction: for six years and nine hearings, it has not identified the risks of violations and has not provided Hungary with any recommendations. Therefore, the deputies demand to adopt official recommendations, recognize the "clear risk of a serious breach of the values on which the Union is founded" and start the next steps under Article 7.

The next step after approval by the European Parliament is to submit the document to the EU Council

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban opposed further increase of financial assistance to Ukraine from the EU, comparing it to "giving an alcoholic another box of vodka."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has reacted sharply to the attack by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who publicly criticized the Ukrainian authorities on social network X for corruption scandals in the energy sector.