This Wednesday 3 March, the EPP group in the European Parliament is considering new rules of internal procedure regarding the expulsion of some of its members. The move, which was initiated by the leader of the group, Manfred Weber (Germany), resulted in the leader of Fidesz and Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, threatening to withdraw his elected representatives from the group should these rules be adopted.
The group’s new rules of procedure would make it possible to exclude not only individual MEPs, but also groups of MEPs. It also provides for the possibility of suspending both the individual and collective rights of MEPs, although exclusion will not be any easier, a source said. On the contrary, a majority of two-thirds will continue to be required. However, before a vote is valid and even if only half of the MEPs took part, at least half of the MEPs would have to vote in favour of exclusion. The same majorities are required for a simple suspension.
There is one minor difference: the only case where lower thresholds/quorums will be possible (and therefore easier to exclude or suspend) relates to cases where the EPP party has already excluded or suspended member parties. This is exactly the case with the Hungarian party Fidesz, which was suspended in March 2019 from the EPP.
“In this case, there is no need for a 2/3 majority, but a simple majority to exclude/suspend the group as well”, explained the source.
It was the ‘Tamas Deutsch’ case that precipitated the movement. The Fidesz MEP had accused Manfred Weber, at the end of 2020, of using Gestapo techniques to push Hungary into accepting the mechanism that makes European funds conditional on respect for the Rule of law. He ended up having to apologise publicly after several crisis sessions and had been deprived of his rights within the group without being excluded from it.
The vote scheduled for Wednesday therefore revives the ‘Fidesz’ saga: it has been going on for years but has never yet led to their exclusion from the EPP party, despite the efforts of President Donald Tusk in this respect.
See the compromise found: http://bit.ly/3rcWGTu (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)