By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL-On Friday, in a formal statement, the European Parliament said that Hungary can “no longer be considered a full democracy” after it adopted a new report on Thursday. The Parliament said that Hungary is now an ‘electoral autocracy’ and commented in the report: “Overall (The European Parliament) expresses regrets that the lack of decisive EU action has contributed to a breakdown of democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary, and turning one of its member states into a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy.” The report concluded: “There is increasing consensus among experts that Hungary is no longer a democracy.”
The European Parliament passed the motion on the report for Hungary with 433 votes in favor, 123 against and 28 abstentions while calling on the European Council and European Commission to focus its attention on what it calls “the systemic dismantling of the rule of law” in Hungary. The report indicates a multitude of concerns that include the function of Hungary’s electoral system and judicial independence. The European Parliament stated its fears about academic and religious freedoms, the rights of vulnerable groups, including it said “ethnic minorities, LGBTQ people, human rights defenders, refugees and migrants.”
Hungary stands to lose EU funds as the EU Parliament is requesting the EU Commission withhold them based on the report’s findings. Some right-wing MEPs were critical of the report while commenting that it is “based on subjective opinions and politically biased statements, and reflects vague concerns, value judgments and double standards.” They attached a minority position statement that read: “This text is yet another attempt by the federalist European political parties to attack Hungary and its Christian-democratic, conservative government for ideological reasons.”
Ever since Prime Minister Viktor Orban came to power in Hungary, the country has seen a systematic roll-back of rights in a number of areas which is why the European Commission cited there are corruption risks and is expected to recommend suspending billions that was to go to Budapest from the bloc’s 1.1 trillion euro shared budget for 2021-27, Reuters reported. It would be a first by the EU, under its new financial sanction known as “cash for democracy” and was agreed on two years ago in light of Orban and his Polish allies’ poor record on the rights of migrants, gays and women, in addition to judiciary, media and academic independence. Orban has been at loggerheads with the EU for decades over these issues.
