Fuldstændigt Forhandlingsreferat

Torsdag den 1. juni 2023 - Bruxelles

8.3. Brud på retsstatsprincippet og grundlæggende rettigheder i Ungarn og indefrosne EU-midler (B9-0257/2023)

Oral explanations of vote

  Mick Wallace (The Left). – Madam President, the rule of law should be the rule of law and not a weapon to trouble countries when someone deems them to have stepped out of order.

The rule of law issue is only used when it suits the Commission. People like Orbán will get away with anything as long as he’s doing the bidding of the EU, but then when it doesn’t suit will have a go at him. His position on the war is not suiting everybody at the moment, so it is easy enough to throw stones at him.

In June last year we gave candidate status to Ukraine, but we didn’t give it to Georgia. Now, if there’s anyone in here thinks that the rule of law is better in Ukraine than it is in Georgia, then you’re living in cuckoo land. The European Court of Auditors report just before the war wrote off Ukraine as one of the most corrupt countries in Europe, and the place was a basket case. And yet, because Georgia are not anti-Russian enough, we have an issue with the rule of law. The hypocrisy is desperate.

  Ангел Джамбазки (ECR). – Г-жо Председател, убедено гласувах против тази резолюция, защото тя е поредна намеса във вътрешните работи на суверенна държава и е призив за лов на вещици. Тя цели пряка намеса на различни бюрократични нива в ЕС във вътрешните работи на суверенни държави. Такава намеса, каквато виждаме в записите на бившия български министър-председател, който съгласува с председателя на Европейската комисия, с шефовете на служби за сигурност нещо недопустимо, нарушаващо националния суверенитет. Това противоречи на идеята за съюз на суверенни държави.

Европейският съюз не е съюз на дъгичките, пропагандата, ЛГБТИ и прочие, и прочие, и прочие. Той трябва да бъде съюз на свободното движение, на икономическия просперитет, на свободата на придвижване и на икономическата свобода. Това, което се налага през такива фалшиви доклади, е тоталитаризъм, мракобесие, Оруел и подменя самата идея за Европейски съюз. Всяка една такава резолюция е насочена битка срещу демократично избрано правителство. Дали ще бъде на Полша, дали на Унгария, дали на Италия, на което и да било. Това е опит за смазване на здравия разум. Това е опит за налагане на Оруелска пропаганда и намеса във вътрешните работи.

  Clare Daly (The Left). – Madam President, I voted for this report. Hungary is a rule of law basket case, but it’s not the only one. We’ve Spain, where the UN Human Rights Committee has twice ruled that the treatment of the Catalan independence politicians by the Spanish state breaches their rights. In France, we have people’s rights continuously and systematically violated under the guise of counter-terrorism, while protesters met with spectacular violence. Bulgaria is a catastrophe. Croatia kidnaps and tortures migrants knowingly and gets rewarded by the Commission with Schengen entry. Italy is rounding up and arresting humanitarian workers. The Greek Government is spying on journalists. The Irish Tánaiste is attacking the free press. Latvia is taking elderly people to take language tests or be expelled.

And what is Parliament’s response to all of this? The usual cynical nonsense. Political groups blocking debates are only promoting them when they’re a chance for you to have a go against your political rivals. But you reap what you sow in this stuff. If politics is prioritised over the rule of law, then the rule of law breaks down. It’s time to cop on and realise the same rules have to apply to everyone.