ISTANBUL

EU affairs ministers gathered Tuesday in Brussels to hold a hearing on the state of democracy and the rule of law in Hungary, as pressure mounts to potentially strip Budapest of its EU voting rights.

“We are deeply concerned,” Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs Jessica Rosencrantz said at the doorstep of the EU General Affairs Council meeting, citing a crackdown on civil society in Hungary.

“We have had seven years, seven hearings, and this cannot just continue unless we see a completely new attitude from the Hungarian side,” she told reporters, calling on the European Commission to make full use of the EU’s rule of law toolbox.

Denmark’s European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre echoed the call for firmer steps.

“We are ready to use all tools necessary to deal with Hungary. We do not see progress; on the contrary, we see a decline when it comes to fundamental values and rights, and we have to defend that, because that is what the EU is built upon,” she said.

European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law, and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath confirmed the Commission’s “very serious concerns” over Hungary’s trajectory.

“I visited Budapest back in March and heard very worrying testimonies from civil society and media organizations about the narrowing of the space in which they operate,” McGrath said.

“In the case of the recovery and resilience facility of Hungary, at this point in time, about €18 billion ($20 billion) is not available to Hungary because of their own rule of law breaches,” he added.

The Article 7 process against Hungary was launched in 2018 after the European Parliament called for action over alleged rule of law breaches, particularly concerning the judiciary and media freedom.

Since then, EU ministers have held seven hearings and are now holding the eighth, but have not advanced to the second phase, which could lead to sanctions such as suspending Hungary’s voting rights, often called the “nuclear option.”

Sanctions require unanimous approval by member states, excluding the country concerned, while a formal reprimand needs backing from 80% of states.
Hungary has repeatedly denounced the process as a political attack and has called for changes to the EU’s sanctions framework.

Poland previously faced an Article 7 procedure, but after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-EU government reversed controversial justice reforms, the process was dropped.