Enough? EU Mulls Tightening Screws on Hungary
Has the European Union finally run out of patience with Hungary? The mood was feisty in Brussels on Tuesday as ministers from the bloc’s member states gathered to discuss whether to turn the screws on Budapest for damaging democracy.
“We have major problems with Hungary,” Germany’s EU Minister Gunther Krichbaum summarised heading into the meeting. “My colleagues’ patience is dwindling day by day.”
Under Hungary’s nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban, Budapest has regularly found itself at loggerheads with the European Commission and most of its 26 fellow EU countries, becoming something of a black sheep.
Russia’s closest EU ally, it has defied consensus on Ukraine, stubbornly stymying sanctions and using its veto to obstruct military aid and other support — all while clamping down on dissent at home.
Brussels has targeted Budapest with several infringement procedures, freezing about 18 billion euros ($20 billion) in funding over issues including alleged corruption and crackdowns on media independence.
In the words of a European diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity, it has however so far steered clear of a “direct confrontation”.
This is because alienating Hungary was seen by some as counterproductive, since some EU decisions, notably on foreign affairs, require unanimity — meaning Budapest has to be on board.
“But at some point, we can no longer continue to be crushed by this political and economic dwarf,” the diplomat said.
A country of about 10 million people, Hungary accounts for just over one percent of the bloc’s total GDP, according to EU figures.
– No ‘science fiction’ –
A March reform in Hungary aimed at banning LGBTQ events, such as the annual pride celebration planned in Budapest on June 28, has caused renewed consternation.
Twenty EU countries, including big hitters France and Germany, Tuesday called on Brussels to step up action against Hungary unless it rows back.
European “values are not a menu à la carte where you can choose which one to hold up to and which one to leave aside,” said Belgian Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden.
With a fresh round of sanctions against Russia in the works and the entire battery of existing ones up for renewal, the situation appears close to a boil.
“This cannot just continue unless we see a completely new attitude from the Hungarian side,” Swedish EU Affairs Minister Jessica Rosencrantz told journalists. “It’s time that we consider the next steps”.
On the table is an Article 7 procedure, which sanctions member states for “serious violations” of the rule of law and can in theory result in the suspension of a country’s voting rights in the EU Council.
Hungary was targeted under the procedure by the European Parliament in 2018 for restricting independent media, civil society, arts and culture — but member states have so far refrained from moving ahead with it.
“We do not see progress. On the contrary, we see a decline when it comes to fundamental values and rights,” said Danish European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre.
Her country, which takes up the EU’s rotating presidency in July, was “ready to use all tools necessary” to deal with Budapest, including “moving forward with Article 7”, she said.
Up to now, the prospect that EU nations could go through with the procedure — something that requires unanimity and has never happened before — seemed far-fetched.
But the hardening in tone marks a shift, according to Lukas Macek, an analyst at the Jacques Delors think tank.
“The more we move forward, the more I tell myself that it’s perhaps not so much science fiction,” he told AFP, adding member states’ “fed-up” attitude could push them to “shift gear”.
Hungarian EU Affairs Minister Janos Boka Tuesday dismissed the procedure as “political hysteria”, adding that nevertheless his government strived for an “open and honest dialogue” and to “participate” constructively in the Article 7 process.
“There is no such thing in Hungary as a pride ban. Today’s hearing will allow me the opportunity to explain this to my colleagues, the constitutional and the legal framework,” he said.
Source: AFP