Hungary Faces Yet Another Tug Of War In EU

EP committee has voted on the draft document on the state of the rule of law report.

Brüsszel, 2023. december 4. Juan Fernando López Aguilar, az Európai Parlament Állampolgári Jogi, Bel- és Igazságügyi Bizottságának (LIBE) elnöke a jogállamiság spanyolországi helyzetérõl és a hatalmi ágak szétválasztásának elvérõl zajló tanácskozáson az Európai Parlament brüsszeli épületében 2023. december 4-én. MTI/EPA/Olivier Matthys Fotó: Olivier Matthys

The European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) has voted on the report presented by Hungarian-hating Sophie in ’t Veld. The draft document condemning Hungary was adopted with 42 votes in favor, ten against, and two abstentions.

As the next step, the draft report is set to be voted in the upcoming February plenary session.

What we are talking about is an own-initiative report and the European Parliaments proposals are non-binding for the European Commission.

Among other issues, the text adopted reconfirms MEPs' concerns about the European Commission's decision last December to unlock €10.2 billion in funding for Hungary, and reiterates the usual political attacks on judicial independence and the media. The press release says that

MEPs criticize specific countries where major problems are identified.

An outside observer my find the "report on a report" term strange. However, there are no coincidences: it pays off politically to vex Hungary and right-wing forces in general. The original report was presented by EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders last October, and even then he faced harsh criticism from MEPs. At the end of last year, there was a consensus among left-wing MEPs that the report, including the provisions and requirements it set, should be toughened, as it was "too diplomatic" and  failed to trigger adequate response from some member states.

 Cover photo: Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar, chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), during a debate on the rule of law in Spain and the principle of separation of powers held at the European Parliament in Brussels on December 4, 2023 (Photo: MTI/EPA/Olivier Matthys)