As a response to the deterioration of the political situation in Hungary, Rebecca Harms and Dany Cohn-Bendit, Co-Presidents of the Greens/EFA group in the European parliament, today called for the initiation of a procedure under Article 7 of the EU Treaty. Harms and Cohn-Bendit had already expressed their deep concerns about Hungary’s dangerous slide towards an authoritarian regime in a letter to Commission President José Barroso on 20 December 2011. Rebecca Harms und Dany Cohn-Bendit said today:
“The European Union must now act swiftly to prevent any further possible moves of Hungary towards an authoritarian system incompatible with European core values. The assaults of the Orban government on the freedom of press, the independence of the judiciary, the independence of the national bank and the severe restrictions of opposition rights are a serious and persistent breach of basic European rights.
The Greens/EFA call upon the European Parliament to initiate a procedure under Article 7 of the EU Treaty to examine whether Hungary is in breach of EU fundamental values. The first step should be a decision by the leaders of the Parliament’s political groups, still in January, to commission a report on the situation in Hungary (1). During the January plenary session in Strasbourg, parliament should also vote a resolution calling upon the Hungarian government to change course or face the consequences.
We also call upon the European People’s Party to suspend the membership of the Hungarian government party FIDESZ in both the European party and in the parliamentary group of the EPP, to last until things have been clarified and respect for European values has been re-established in Hungary.”
Note to editors:
(1) The necessary steps for the initiation of an Article 7 procedure are set out in rule 74(e) of the Parliament’s rules of procedure.