Daniel Freund Calls for Suspension of PM Orban's EU Voting Rights

The German liberal MEP has produced yet another anti-Hungarian outburst on his social media.

Brüsszel, 2022. november 17. Daniel Freund német zöldpárti európai parlamenti képviselõ a jogállamiság magyarországi helyzetével kapcsolatos uniós aggályokra adott magyar válaszintézkedésekkel kapcsolatban tartott sajtóértekezleten az Európai Parlament brüsszeli épületében 2022. november 17-én. MTI/EPA/Stephanie Lecocq Fotó: Stephanie Lecocq

German MEP Daniel Freund has proposed a stunning new idea, advocating for an EU-level vote ahead of next Thursday's EU summit on Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union, which allows for the suspension of a member state's voting rights. Mr Freund intends to employ this 'tool' against Hungary, specifically targeting Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

However, invoking the Article 7 procedure requires a substantial justification that the targeted country is in serious breach of EU values. Additionally, all concerned parties must have the opportunity to express their views on the matter.

In his latest post on X, Mr Freund doesn't explicitly elaborate on his discontent, but it may have to do with the upcoming EU summit and PM Orban's suggestion that, in defence of Hungarian and EU interests, Ukraine's accession talks should be included on the agenda.

Suspend Orbans voting rights in the Council! Bring Article 7 to a vote! Do it!

— Daniel Freund (@daniel_freund) December 7, 2023

Recently, the openly anti-Hungarian liberal politician seems singularly preoccupied with Mr. Orban, hardly letting a day pass without criticizing Hungary's prime minister. In one of his latest posts, he responded to a entry shared by foreign correspondent Lili Bayer, who noted that Hungary's prime minister no longer raises issues with Ukraine solely over minority rights but criticizes Kyiv more broadly.

The biggest threat to the Hungarian minority in Ukraine? Putin's bombs. The best way to protect the Hungarian minority in Ukraine? Help Ukraine win the war,

– Mr Freund wrote, reacting to Lili Bayer's post.

Biggest threat to Hungarian minority in Ukraine?
- Putins bombs

Best way to protect Hungarian minority in Ukraine?
- Help Ukraine win the war https://t.co/LtZjNdI9A3

— Daniel Freund (@daniel_freund) December 7, 2023

Ukraine, currently at war, applied for EU membership last February and was granted candidate status in June 2022, whereas other countries have been waiting for years, decades, for their accession process to move forward. Turkey is at the forefront of this queue, having indicated its interest in joining the EU in 1987, with negotiations commencing in 2005. North Macedonia has held official candidate status since 2005, and accession negotiations with Serbia began in 2014. Montenegro and Albania are also on the list, while Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina were granted candidate status last year. Prospective members must meet a set of criteria. On Tuesday, Mate Kocsis, Fidesz's parliamentary group leader, underscored that, as in the past, no exceptions could be made for Ukraine based on current political and ideological considerations.

There is no way that Ukraine can leapfrog the northern Balkan countries that are waiting to join. Moreover, Ukraine has not fulfilled the necessary conditions to start negotiations - just think of the situation of minorities and language use

– the politician wrote in his post.

Cover photo: German Green MEP Daniel Freund (Photo: MTI/EPA/Stephanie Lecocq)