Several members of the European Parliament have urged the EU to impose sanctions against Hungary and stop payments to the country in relation to emergency measures taken by the Hungarian authorities amid the coronavirus pandemic, the EU legislature said on Thursday in a press release
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2020) Several members of the European Parliament have urged the EU to impose sanctions against Hungary and stop payments to the country in relation to emergency measures taken by the Hungarian authorities amid the coronavirus pandemic, the EU legislature said on Thursday in a press release.
In mid-April, the European Commission approved an aid package of 350 billion Hungarian forints ($1.1 billion) to Budapest to support the country's economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"[Several members of the European Parliament] specifically asked for payments to Hungary to be stopped, in the framework of the new financial perspectives and the recovery plan, unless rule of law is respected. They also criticised the passive attitude of the Council and insisted it moves on the Article 7 procedure initiated by the Parliament," the press release read.
During a discussion with Vice-President of the European Commission Vera Jourova and the Croatian Presidency of the EU, the lawmakers underlined that measures introduced in Hungary, including the declaration of an unlimited state of emergency, posed a threat to democracy and fundamental rights, violating the bloc's rules.
In April, the parliament issued a resolution calling Hungary's decisions to extend a state of emergency indefinitely, enable the government to rule by decree and weaken the parliament's control "totally incompatible with European values."
The political situation in Hungary raised concerns among some EU countries as early as in 2018 when the European Commission requested that Article 7(1) of the Treaty on European Union be invoked over "judicial independence, freedom of expression, corruption, rights of minorities, and the situation of migrants and refugees" in the country. Under the article, the EU may suspend certain rights of a member state, including the right to vote, if decides that the country's actions threaten the bloc's values.
