Hungary must abide by EU values, say MEPs
The Hungarian authorities must remedy any breaches of key EU values swiftly, said MEPs on Wednesday. If they fail to do so Parliament's leaders should consider asking the Council of the EU to determine, under EU Treaty Article 7.1, whether there is a clear risk of a serious breach, MEPs say. They also want a high-level group to monitor compliance with the EU's values in all member states.
In the resolution, adopted by 370 votes to 249, with 82 abstentions, Parliament stresses that the EU is founded on key values such as respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law, as enshrined in Article 2 of the EU Treaty.
"Constitutional changes in Hungary have been systemic and they have a general trend that moves away from EU values enshrined in EU Treaty Article 2," said rapporteur Rui Tavares (Greens/EFA, PT) in the debate on Tuesday. "Democracy is about the rule of the majority, but not about majoritarianism," he added.
Parliament regrets that the process of drafting and adopting Hungary's constitution "lacked the transparency, openness, inclusiveness and, ultimately, the consensual basis that could be expected in a modern democratic constituent process” and deplores the fact that the institutional changes “resulted in a clear weakening of the system of checks and balances”.
Recommendations to the Hungarian authorities
Parliament urges the Hungarian authorities to remove from the constitution those provisions already declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court, to reduce the recurrent use of cardinal laws, to apply the recommendations of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, to ensure the widest possible participation of all parties in the constitutional process and to fully guarantee the independence of the judiciary.
On media laws, Parliament asks Hungary to set up objective, legally binding procedures for the appointment of heads of public media and regulatory bodies. MEPs also call on the Hungarian authorities to “finally assume their responsibilities towards the homeless”, adopt a broader definition of “family” and do more to integrate Roma communities.
Resorting to Article 7.1
The resolution asks Parliament’s Conference of Presidents (president plus political group leaders) to “assess the opportuneness of resorting to mechanisms foreseen by the Treaty, including Article 7.1" should the replies from the Hungarian authorities "appear not to comply” with EU values. Article 7.1 of the Treaty would enable the EU Council of Ministers to determine whether there is a clear risk of a serious breach of EU values.
Copenhagen mechanism
To prevent breaches of EU values in the future, MEPs call for a “Copenhagen mechanism” to be set up to ensure compliance with EU common values and continuity of pre-accession criteria. This mechanism, which could take the form of a "Copenhagen Commission" or high-level group, would be independent from political influence and avoid any risks of double standards, says the text..
Additional information
Procedure: Non-legislative resolution