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Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán is dealing with a brand new push by MEPs to derail his upcoming EU presidency, however diplomats say there isn’t any urge for food within the EU Council for such a transfer.
Finnish centre-right MEP Petri Sarvamaa bought the ball rolling on Monday (8 January) with a proposal to strip Orbán of his voting rights within the Council as a consequence of his “critical and chronic breach of EU values”.
“Hungary has been repeatedly criticised for its erosion of the rule of legislation, and particularly after Hungary’s actions to disrupt the decision-making of the member states within the December EUCO [EU summit], we imagine that the time has come for the European Parliament to take motion,” Sarvamaa’s petition to fellow MEPs mentioned.
The “disruption” refers to Orbán’s veto on EU funding for Ukraine with the intention to strong-arm the EU into unfreezing the entire EU funds for Hungary that have been beforehand held again as a consequence of rule-of-law issues.
The EU Parliament and European Fee already launched an analogous process to exclude Orbán from the EU Council in 2018 below Article 7(1) of the EU treaty.
This continues to rumble on contained in the Council, with occasional debates, however it has by no means gone ahead as a result of it lacks the consensus it must go forward.
However for Sarvamaa, who’s in control of EU budgetary affairs for the centre-right EPP group, the brand new course of has extra possibilities of success as a result of it could invoke the much less onerous Article 7(2) of the treaty as an alternative.
“Article 7(2) is a process to state the existence of a critical and chronic breach of values,” he instructed EUobserver.
“After stating the existence of this critical and chronic breach of values (voted unanimously within the Council), it’s attainable for the member states to go for the suspension of sure membership rights (voted by certified majority within the Council),” he added.
MEPs additionally voted in a non-binding decision final June to droop Orbán’s upcoming EU Council presidency, which is because of begin in July.
And although this fell on deaf ears within the Council, Sarvamaa mentioned the brand new marketing campaign might yield the identical desired end result.
“If Hungary have been to be disadvantaged of its proper to vote within the Council, it could be fairly clear that Hungary wouldn’t have the ability to maintain the following presidency of the EU,” he mentioned.
“If the petition is supported throughout occasion traces and there may be clear assist among the many MEPs, I see no motive why the European Parliament shouldn’t act shortly,” he added.
Sarvamaa’s attraction comes after EU Council chairman Charles Michel mentioned he would step down early to run as an MEP.
And this might turbocharge Orbán’s EU-presidency function by seeing him take over Michel’s duties in talking on behalf of the EU on the world stage till a long-term EU Council chairman alternative is appointed.
“That will solely underline the significance of the petition,” Sarvamaa mentioned.
‘Grave hazard’
Not one of the Hungarian MEPs from Orbán’s occasion replied to EUobserver’s questions.
Márton Gyöngyösi, from the right-wing Jobbik opposition occasion in Hungary, mentioned: “A majority of MEPs would additionally say that … the thought of him [Orbán] main the Council, taking on the EU presidency, or representing the EU in any kind is a grave hazard.”
However wanting on the EU’s monitor report on Orbán, Gyöngyösi added: “There may be nice confusion as to what the technique needs to be to counter him”.
“How is it attainable to ponder any sanctions in opposition to him when the EU simply launched €10bn to fund Mr Orbán’s intolerant challenge? The EU is just not solely dropping credibility however making itself look ridiculous within the course of,” he added.
Petras Austrevicius, a Lithuanian MEP from the liberal Renew Europe group, additionally mentioned: “I do not assume there’s any authorized means to realize this nice objective [Orbán sanctions]”.
“It will not be straightforward to realize a standard place within the Council, since it is a very delicate subject and a few [member states] would possibly odor a possible threat to develop into the following ‘sufferer’ of such a process themselves,” he mentioned.
And diplomats from two nations that are usually fairly hawkish on rule-of-law points agreed.
‘Lame-duck presidency’
“I do not see any assist for this within the Council,” one of many diplomats mentioned, talking on situation of anonymity.
“Then you might be on [a] slippery slope in the case of the entire construction of the rotating EU presidency,” they added.
The second EU diplomat mentioned: “It isn’t going to go wherever … we’ll simply must pinch our noses for a couple of months”.
“Let’s not overestimate the presidency’s impression on EU coverage. They [Hungary] cannot do as they please and shall be pushed apart by bigger member states in the event that they have been to misbehave badly,” he mentioned.
“Extra importantly, Hungary involves the presidency at a time [after the EU elections in June] when there may be little or no coverage to information by Council. The brand new EU Fee will solely come into energy by 1 December, so this shall be a lame-duck presidency anyway”, he added.
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