Hungary ‘can no longer be considered full democracy’, says EU parliament

THE Hungary “can no longer be considered a full democracy,” the European Parliament said in a statement after the adoption of a report on Thursday (15).

Parliament said the situation “has deteriorated to such an extent that Hungary has become an ‘electoral autocracy'”.

“In general, [o Parlamento Europeu] regrets that the lack of decisive action by the EU has contributed to the collapse of democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary, and turning one of its member states into a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy,” the report said.

“There is a growing consensus among experts that Hungary is no longer a democracy,” the document added.

In their report, members of Parliament listed a number of concerns, including about the functioning of the country’s electoral system and judicial independence. They also expressed fears about academic and religious freedoms, as well as the rights of vulnerable groups, including “ethnic minorities, LGBTQI people, human rights defenders, refugees and migrants.”

The motion, which passed with 433 votes in favour, 123 against and 28 abstentions, calls on the European Council and the European Commission to “devote more attention to the systemic dismantling of the rule of law” in Hungary.

In particular, the EU Parliament calls on the Commission to withhold EU funds from Hungary.

Some right-wing MEPs criticized the report, saying it was “based on subjective opinions and politically biased statements and reflects vague concerns, value judgments and double standards”.

“This text is yet another attempt by European federalist political parties to attack Hungary and its conservative Christian Democrat government on ideological grounds,” they said in a minority position statement attached to the report.

Citing risks of corruption the European Commission is expected later this week to suspend billions earmarked for Budapest from the bloc’s 1.1 trillion euros ($1.1 trillion) shared budget for 2021-27, according to Reuters.

This would be the EU’s first move under its new financial sanction dubbed “money for democracy” and agreed two years ago precisely in response to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, as well as his allies in Poland, backtracking on liberal democratic principles within the block.

Orbán has been stuck for years in bitter disputes with the EU, which Hungary joined in 2004, over the rights of migrants, gays and women, as well as the independence of the judiciary, media and academia.

The self-proclaimed illiberal crusader, however, denies that Hungary is more corrupt than others in the 27-nation bloc.

The European Commission has already blocked around 6 billion euros due to Budapest of the bloc’s separate Covid economic stimulus package, citing insufficient anti-corruption safeguards in Hungary’s public procurement.

Funds worth up to a tenth of Hungary’s GDP could be at stake if other EU members pass the Commission’s expected recommendation, a prospect that has weighed on the Hungarian forint, Central Europe’s worst-performing currency.

Budapest has been under pressure in recent weeks to strike a deal with Brussels and free up funding for the Hungarian economy, and Orbán’s government has vowed to create a new anti-corruption agency. Member countries have three months to decide on the Commission’s recommendation and can limit punishment if they find Budapest’s actions, however, convincing.

But on Friday, Orbán dismissed the EU Parliament’s statement as a “boring joke”.

“As far as the EU Parliament decision is concerned, we think it is in the realm of (a) joke. We’re not laughing because it’s a boring joke,” Orbán said through a translator after a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Reuters reported.

(*With information from Reuters)