Brussels, 10/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - Three weeks after having debated the situation in Hungary with Prime Minister Viktor Orban (see EUROPE 11317), MEPs adopted a new resolution on Wednesday 10 June in Strasbourg. This resolution condemns the action taken by the Conservative leader, particularly his controversial declarations on the death penalty. It also condemned the public consultation launched in the country on immigration.
Approved by 362 votes in favour, with 247 against and 88 abstentions, the resolution calls on the European Commission to assess the situation in this country and “to establish an EU mechanism to monitor democracy, the rule of law and human rights annually across the EU”. MEPs point out, as the Commission has also done, that “Reinstating the death penalty in Hungary would breach the EU Treaties and Charter of fundamental rights”. The EP calls on the Commission to provide a “report” to the European Parliament and Council on the state of democracy in the country, before September 2015.
MEPs added that the death penalty is “incompatible with the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights on which the union is founded” and that any member state reintroducing the death penalty would be “in violation of the Treaties and of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights”. This serious violation would trigger EU Treaty Article 7 and possible suspension of voting rights at the Council.
MEPs say that “the wording of the Hungarian government's public consultation on migration is highly misleading, biased and unbalanced” establishing “a biased and direct link between migratory phenomena and security threats”. In a press release the EPP group explained that public consultation on subjects such as immigration can be a good thing but that this kind of consultation should be done responsibly.
The EPP also requested the Commission to present a proposal to “establish an EU mechanism on democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights, as a tool for ensuring compliance with and enforcement of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Treaties as signed by all member states”. It also instructed Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties to help elaborate this proposal by drafting a non-binding resolution to be voted by Parliament as a whole by the end of this year.
In 2014, the Commission did in fact introduce a “rule of law” mechanism to assess possible upstream breaches in member states and implement preventive action. (Solenn Paulic)