Brussels, 03/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 3 June in Strasbourg, the plenary session of the Eurtopean Parliament (EP), for the third time in two years, adopted a resolution denouncing the Hungarian government's attacks on European values. A resolution prepared by Rui Tavares (Greens/EFA, Portugal) was passed by 370 votes to 249 (82 abstentions). Prime Minister Viktor Orban had sharply challenged the resolution the day before the plenary, describing it as worthy of the methods employed by the USSR. The resolution also divided MEPs and the EPP rejected it because it considered that it went beyond the EP's remit.
In this resolution, which had already passed the civil liberties committee stage on 19 June, the Hungarian authorities are again called on to “prevent breaches of EU values in the future”, failing which, “MEPs ask the European Parliament's authorities to consider resorting to EU Treaty Article 7 (1), which would enable the EU Council of Ministers to determine whether there is a clear risk of a serious breach”, a press release explains.
MEPs also want to set up a high-level group to ensure that EU values are respected in all member states.
Although Rui Tavares is clear that his report does not exclusively target Hungary but the whole of the EU, he did state during the debate on Tuesday that “the constitutional changes in Hungary are systemic and the general trend in these changes is incompatible with Article 2 of the EU Treaty” on European values. He added that “democracy is a question of the exercising of power by the majority and not abuse of the majority”. In its resolution, the EP regrets that the process of drafting and adopting the Hungarian constitution “has not benefited from transparency, openness, inclusivity and, ultimately, from a basis of consensus upon which a modern democratic and constitutive process can be achieved”. MEPs said that the institutional changes enacted have led to “a blatant weakening of the system for ensuring the balance of power”.
The text therefore calls on Hungary to remove from the constitution “those provisions already declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court; to reduce the recurrent use of cardinal laws…and to implement the recommendations of the Council of Europe's Venice Commission”. It also calls on Hungary to ensure the widest possible participation of all parties in the constitutional process and to fully guarantee the independence of the judiciary.
These recommendations were received particularly badly by the Hungarian authorities, which also contested the recommendation to Hungary regarding the legal system made at the beginning of June by the Commission (with seven other countries). It points out that it has executed all the decisions of the European Court of Justice, particularly regarding the retirement age of judges. According to Hungary, these judges have been given the opportunity to say whether they wish to resume their posts or not. On Tuesday, Orban criticised the report for being very unfair and for not taking into account the efforts made by Hungary. He also accused the EP of quite simply not accepting its two-thirds majority.
The EPP also attacked the report as being nothing more than a wish list from parties on the European Left that wanted to “impose their own agenda on Hungary”, as argued Manfred Weber, who added that “the EP does not have the remit to act as a court and tell people how they should live”. The EPP Group also highlighted on a number of occasions the double standards of the European Socialists and claimed that they closed their eyes to abuses in countries where they are in power, such as in Bulgaria and Romania.
Viviane Reding, a very controversial figure in Hungary, pointed out on Tuesday the importance of the Rui Tavares report to the European Commission. She indicated that the Commission had called on Budapest to work closely with the EP to implementing the recommendations of the report. The commissioner for fundamental rights looked at the issue in a wider perspective and said that the debate on respect for European values was of crucial interest to all member states. A specific seminar of the College of Commissioners is planned for the end of August and in November and Reding will also be organising a “Court of Assizes”. A communication is also planned to outline the EU's instruments for responding to breaches of European standards observed in member states. (SP/transl.fl)