The EPP Group at the European Parliament seems very reluctant to support the draft resolution on the situation in Hungary.
EPP Group leader Manfred Weber (Germany) told press on Tuesday 16 May that he opposed the draft resolution because of a reference to the possible triggering of Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). This arrangement provides for the possible adoption of sanctions against a member state that infringes the principles of the rule of law.
The European Parliament is preparing to adopt a resolution on Wednesday on the authoritarian abuses of Viktor Orbán's government. Orbán's Fidesz party is a member of the Christian Democrat family. The European Parliament's objective is to respond to Hungary's draft legislation on NGOs restricting civil society and to the possible closure of the Central European University (see EUROPE 11778).
However, MEPs are divided as to the level of pressure to be put on Hungary. There are currently two draft resolutions to be put to a vote – one is brought by ALDE, S&D, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL groups, and the other by the EPP Group.
The first resolution mentions Article 7 of the TEU explicitly, which enables the voting rights to be suspended of a member state that is in "serious" violation of the values targeted in Article 2 of the TEU (including respect for human dignity, democratic principles and the rule of law). The second resolution, proposed by the EPP Group, does not refer to this article.
The point of disagreement between the EPP and other political groups thus arises over the mention of Article 7. In Weber's view, taking such a step is premature and the European Commission first needs to be allowed conduct its infringement procedure (see EUROPE 11775).
Weber told journalists that he did not understand why the Hungarian case should be treated differently from the Polish case – and all the more so, given that the Hungarian government is apparently more cooperative with the European level. The General Affairs Council, which for the first time was dealing with an issue linked to a member state's respect of the rule of law, indeed advocated continuing the political dialogue between the Commission and Polish government (see other article).
The leader of the European Parliament's S&D Group, Gianni Pittella, criticised the EPP Group's attitude of digging its heels in purely for partisan reasons. The Christian Democrats have 12 members of the Fidesz party in their ranks. Pittella pointed out that the EPP Group took a much harder line against the Polish government, given that the MEPs from the Law and Justice (PiS) party that is currently in power in Poland are members of the European Parliament's ECR Group.
Returning the ball to the Social Democrats court, Weber stated that his group had asked at the last mini-plenary session for Malta's Labour prime minister, Joseph Muscat, to give an explanation to the European Parliament about the Panama Papers affair. The EPP had then been confronted with the opposition of the S&D Group and the Liberals.
Sylvie Guillaume (S&D, France) told EUROPE that it would be enough for just 16 MEPs from the EPP Group not to fall into line with their group in order for the draft resolution of the ALDE, S&D, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL Groups to pass. She recognised, however, that all the MEPs from the four groups are voting in favour of triggering the procedure provided for in Article 7, and joked that "each will have to count its children". (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)