Viktor Orban was called the head of the “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy”
A new crack has appeared in the European Union. Hungary is no longer a full democracy, said the European Parliament, whose deputies supported a resolution claiming that the country led by Viktor Orban has turned into a “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy”.
Photo: Global Look Press
Hungary can no longer be considered a full-fledged democracy, the European Parliament has declared in a powerful symbolic vote against Viktor Orban’s government.
In a resolution supported by 81% of MEPs present at the vote, the European Parliament, citing violations of democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law, stated that Hungary had turned into a “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy”.
Although, as The Guardian writes, the vote has no practical effect, it increases pressure on the EU authorities in Brussels not to allocate billions of EU cash to Hungary, which are being withheld due to concerns about corruption.
Hungary is struggling to convince the European Commission to allocate 4.64 billion euros of funds for recovery after the COVID pandemic, frozen for more than a year. Budapest is also trying to prevent a separate judicial procedure that could lead to deductions of 24.3 billion euros from the cohesion funds for infrastructure and economic development.
The European Commission is expected to propose cutting 70% of Hungary’s cohesion funds on Sunday, but will also open the door to compromise, according to two MEPs familiar with the discussions. “More or less we hear that the commission will propose these sanctions or financial measures,” said Moritz Kerner, an MEP from Germany, who was informed by the commission.
In a recent internal document, commission representatives suggested that there is a “very significant” risk regarding Hungary’s management of EU funds, citing violations of public interest rules and an unusually large number of contracts awarded to one bidder – a red flag for transparency observers. The document, which has been removed from the commission’s website, suggests a 70% reduction in funds as “proportional” to the risk.
Hungary is given until mid-November to get its affairs in order. It is expected that after the offensive launched in Brussels next week, the Hungarian government will propose a number of anti-corruption laws. Critics fear that the European Commission is ready to adopt cosmetic changes to defuse conflicts over EU funds.
“The Commission has hesitantly agreed with the Hungarian government on what changes they want to see,” said Daniel Freund, a German MEP from the Greens, also informed of the commission’s plans. “There is a very short period of time, and to expect that the damage that Orban has inflicted on his constitutional majority over 12 years can now be repaired within a few weeks or a couple of months, I think, is too optimistic.”
As The Guardian reminds, Viktor Orban has been in power since 2010 and has had a two-thirds parliamentary majority for most of that time.
A representative of the European Commission declined to comment, but said he was analyzing the “remedial measures” submitted by Hungary and had until September 21 to determine the next step.
However, the resolution of the European Parliament, which points out the “risks of clientelism, favoritism and nepotism in the highest state administration”, will make it difficult for any refusal to protect EU funds.
Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, a member of the European Parliament from France, who drafted the resolution, called the conclusions clear and irrevocable. “Hungary is not a democracy. It was more important than ever for the Parliament to take this position, given the alarming pace of retreat from the rule of law in Hungary.
She added that “the overwhelming majority of MEPs supporting this position in the European Parliament is unprecedented.” Of the 534 MEPs who attended the vote in Strasbourg, 433 voted in favor, 123 against and 28 abstained.
Commenting on the vote, the chief spokesman of the Hungarian government, Zoltan Kovacs, said that it would be better for the European Parliament to focus on energy prices, which have tripled and quadrupled due to the failure of sanctions, repeating his government’s criticism of the EU’s restrictive measures against Russia.
The vote took place almost exactly four years after MEPs voted to initiate disciplinary measures against Hungary, a decision that is ultimately in the hands of 26 other EU member states that have mostly shown little interest in the conflict with Budapest.
The MEPs, who have no authority to deny Hungary funding, accused the EU Council of Ministers and the European Commission of alleged inaction, which is clearly stated in the resolution. The MEPs expressed their deep regret that the lack of decisive EU action contributed to the violation of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary, turning the country into a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy.
The Parliament’s indictment was based on the reports of the bodies belonging to the Council of Europe, as well as on the case law of the EU courts and the European Court of Human Rights.
MEPs also referred to the verdict of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which reported in April that the elections in Hungary, which returned Orban to power for a fourth consecutive term, were “overshadowed by the lack of equal conditions”. The OSCE sent a full-fledged mission to Hungary, which was an almost unprecedented step for an EU member state.
The report also noted the concern of Hungarian judges about the independence of the judiciary in their country after numerous changes by the Orban government, including the appointment of Supreme Court judges outside of normal procedures.
This measure was opposed by MEPs from eurosceptics and far-right parties. In a statement included in the draft resolution, they argued that the conclusions were “based on subjective opinions and politically biased statements” that reflected “vague concerns, value judgments and double standards”.
These MEPs also stated that the report is based on “cases that have long been settled by the responsible authorities or relate to issues that are part of public debate and fall within the exclusive competence of the member States”.