Today, the European Parliament will discuss a proposal for a resolution expressing doubt as to whether Hungary, due to its rule of law, is suitable to take over the presidency of the EU next year. Budapest says it is an “anti-Hungarian initiative”.
Members of parliament will vote on the resolution, which calls on member states to take action, on Thursday.
In the draft resolution, MEPs question Hungary’s suitability to take over the six-month presidency of the EU in the second half of 2024, pointing to the state of the rule of law in this member state, regarding which the European Parliament initiated a procedure under Article 7 in 2018 EU Treaties due to violations of the fundamental values of the Union.
The draft also contains an article in which the members of the parliament call on the members of the member states to “they find an appropriate solution as soon as possible”, otherwise, they predict that appropriate measures could be taken by the parliament itself.
In Budapest, the planned vote on the proposal for a resolution of the European Parliament was condemned. Hungarian Minister of Justice Judit Varga marked the move as “anti-Hungarian initiative”. She assured that Hungary would preside as an honest broker.
The rule of law in Hungary was discussed on Tuesday within the framework of Article 7 of the EU Treaty by the ministers responsible for European affairs. Swedish Minister for European Affairs Jessica Roswall, whose country currently holds the presidency of the Council, emphasized that the treaties stipulate that member states take turns at the head of the EU Council. It expects all presidencies to be honest brokers and to represent the interests of the entire EU.
Vice-President of the European Commission Vera Jourova she said that there has been no progress on Hungary’s side to date in fulfilling her recommendations. Despite the concerns, the Commission is not currently considering the possibility of calling on member states to change the rules regarding the presidency, she said, according to Radio Slovenia.
On the agenda of the two-day session in Brussels, the European Parliament also has a vote on the European Commission’s proposal to strengthen European ammunition production, and the deputies will also talk about foreign interference in democratic processes in the Union.
Source: Rtvslo