Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán is dealing with a brand new push by MEPs to derail his upcoming EU presidency, however diplomats say there is not any urge for food within the EU Council for such a transfer.
Finnish centre-right MEP Petri Sarvamaa received the ball rolling on Monday (8 January) with a proposal to strip Orbán of his voting rights within the Council on account of his ”severe and protracted breach of EU values”.
”Hungary has been repeatedly criticised for its erosion of the rule of legislation, and particularly after Hungary’s actions to disrupt the decision-making of the member states within the December EUCO [EU summit], we consider that the time has come for the European Parliament to take motion,” Sarvamaa’s petition to fellow MEPs stated.
The ”disruption” refers to Orbán’s veto on EU funding for Ukraine so as to strong-arm the EU into unfreezing all the EU funds for Hungary that had been beforehand held again on account of rule-of-law considerations.
The EU Parliament and European Fee already launched an identical process to exclude Orbán from the EU Council in 2018 beneath Article 7(1) of the EU treaty.
This continues to rumble on contained in the Council, with occasional debates, but it surely has by no means gone ahead as a result of it lacks the consensus it must go forward.
However for Sarvamaa, who’s accountable for EU budgetary affairs for the centre-right EPP group, the brand new course of has extra possibilities of success as a result of it will invoke the much less onerous Article 7(2) of the treaty as an alternative.
”Article 7(2) is a process to state the existence of a severe and protracted breach of values,” he instructed EUobserver.
”After stating the existence of this severe and protracted breach of values (voted unanimously within the Council), it’s doable for the member states to go for the suspension of sure membership rights (voted by certified majority within the Council),” he added.
MEPs additionally voted in a non-binding decision final June to droop Orbán’s upcoming EU Council presidency, which is because of begin in July.
And despite the fact that this fell on deaf ears within the Council, Sarvamaa stated the brand new marketing campaign might yield the identical desired end result.
”If Hungary had been to be disadvantaged of its proper to vote within the Council, it will be fairly clear that Hungary wouldn’t be capable to maintain the subsequent presidency of the EU,” he stated.
”If the petition is supported throughout social gathering traces and there’s clear help among the many MEPs, I see no motive why the European Parliament shouldn’t act rapidly,” he added.
Sarvamaa’s enchantment comes after EU Council chairman Charles Michel stated he would step down early to run as an MEP.
And this might turbocharge Orbán’s EU-presidency function by seeing him take over Michel’s duties in talking on behalf of the EU on the world stage till a long-term EU Council chairman alternative is appointed.
”That will solely underline the significance of the petition,” Sarvamaa stated.
’Grave hazard’
Not one of the Hungarian MEPs from Orbán’s social gathering replied to EUobserver’s questions.
Márton Gyöngyösi, from the right-wing Jobbik opposition social gathering in Hungary, stated: ”A majority of MEPs would additionally say that … the concept of him [Orbán] main the Council, taking on the EU presidency, or representing the EU in any kind is a grave hazard.”
However trying on the EU’s monitor file on Orbán, Gyöngyösi added: ”There may be nice confusion as to what the technique must be to counter him”.
”How is it doable to ponder any sanctions towards him when the EU simply launched €10bn to fund Mr Orbán’s intolerant venture? The EU is just not solely shedding credibility however making itself look ridiculous within the course of,” he added.
Petras Austrevicius, a Lithuanian MEP from the liberal Renew Europe group, additionally stated: ”I do not assume there’s any authorized means to realize this nice objective [Orbán sanctions]”.
”It will not be simple to realize a typical place within the Council, since it is a very delicate subject and a few [member states] may scent a possible threat to turn out to be the subsequent ’sufferer’ of such a process themselves,” he stated.
And diplomats from two nations that are usually fairly hawkish on rule-of-law points agreed.
’Lame-duck presidency’
”I do not see any help for this within the Council,” one of many diplomats stated, talking on situation of anonymity.
”Then you’re on [a] slippery slope on the subject of the entire construction of the rotating EU presidency,” they added.
The second EU diplomat stated: ”It is not going to go anyplace … we’ll simply must pinch our noses for just a few months”.
”Let’s not overestimate the presidency’s affect on EU coverage. They [Hungary] cannot do as they please and will likely be pushed apart by bigger member states in the event that they had been to misbehave badly,” he stated.
”Extra importantly, Hungary involves the presidency at a time [after the EU elections in June] when there’s little or no coverage to information via Council. The brand new EU Fee will solely come into energy by 1 December, so this will likely be a lame-duck presidency anyway”, he added.