Does Hungary still have a place in the EU? EU leaders were questioned at length on the subject on Friday 25 June, the day after their heated discussion on Hungary’s bill stigmatising the LGBTI community (see EUROPE 12748/1).
Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa was particularly firm on the issue, repeating that only states sharing the values enshrined in Article 2 of the EU Treaty—respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy—should remain in the Union.
Portugal, he insisted, had applied for EU membership precisely to see these values guaranteed. “We cannot accept that those who do not respect them remain in the Union”, he insisted.
“The EU is not just an internal market”, noted German Chancellor Angela Merkel, calling for respect for common values and for dialogue where these are not respected. She also suggested that Hungary was not the only country affected by this issue.
“The question is not only for Hungarians, but it is an existential question for Europeans”, French President Emmanuel Macron added in reaction. “How much longer can we tell an Albanian to make efforts on the rule of law while accepting Member States that go in the other direction?”, he asked.
In-depth reflection
The French president also said that it was undesirable for Article 50—the first stage of a withdrawal procedure—to be invoked whenever a problem arose with a Member State. This position is shared by the Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz.
The latter considered it preferable for the Commission to intervene - as was done in the Hungarian case (see EUROPE 12747/7)—rather than “debate whether a country should leave the European Union”. “Because that cannot be our goal”, he maintained.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who had mentioned Article 50 the day before, clarified his remarks: “I have not asked Orbán to leave the EU. I asked him to repeal the amendments. If he doesn’t want to, in my view, I can’t understand why he would want to stay”, he specified.
Finally, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, argued that Hungary had a place in the Union and would remain in it.
All agreed, however, that it was time for the subject to be discussed in greater depth at European Council level.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, also called for “the conference on the future of Europe to be a useful opportunity” to reflect on those “fundamental values which are the cement of the European project”. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki with the editorial staff)