A majority of MEPs called for, during a debate in Strasbourg on Tuesday 4 October, the swift adoption of the proposal to impose financial sanctions on Hungary under the ‘Rule of law’ regulation.
Budapest has presented 17 measures to avoid the proposal submitted to the EU Council aimed at depriving the country of €7.5 billion of EU funding under the cohesion policy (see EUROPE 13024/9).
However, according to several MEPs, the Hungarian measures may not be sufficient to address the problems of Rule of law breaches and the measures proposed by the Commission are not strong enough (see other news). Several of them referred in particular to the lack of independence of judges, which they regretted was not addressed in this procedure.
The EU Council is examining the text. Mikuláš Bek, the Czech Minister for European Affairs and President-in-Office of the EU Council, said that “the EU Council’s preparatory bodies are carefully examining the proposal, both in terms of process and substance”.
He confirmed that the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the EU (Coreper) will discuss the procedure on Wednesday 5 October and the extension of the deadline for the Council of the EU to decide by qualified majority on the measures proposed by the Commission by two months, until 19 December 2022.
“All elements are being carefully analysed by the Member States, including the measures proposed by Hungary to remedy the current situation”, Mr Bek emphasised. We will have to be careful how we deal with these issues, warned the Czech minister. He stressed the essential role of the Commission as guardian of the Treaties. The EU Council is counting on the Commission to “carry out a very detailed analysis of the situation so that the decision that will be taken will be based on concrete criteria”, the Czech minister said. The EU Council will respect the deadlines set out in the regulation and act swiftly, promised Mr Bek.
A number of key corrective measures should be implemented by 19 November 2022, said the Commissioner for Budget, Johannes Hahn. “Hungary has committed to fully inform the Commission about the implementation of the remedies, but 19 November is also included in the timetable published in our proposal. At that time, we will assess the situation again”, said the Commissioner.
For Petri Sarvamaa (EPP, Finnish), an “historic responsibility” rests on the shoulders of the EU Council and the Commission. No one wants to see a country’s EU funds cut, admitted Mr Sarvamaa, but the rapporteur said the foundations of the EU should be preserved.
Eider Gardiazabal Rubial (S&D, Spanish) said it was time to act, “because we have evidence” of breaches of the Rule of law in Poland. “The EU Council must adopt the proposed measures”, she insisted.
The Commission is called upon to be tougher. Sophia in ‘t Veld (Renew Europe, Dutch) claims that the Commission’s proposal does not go far enough and that there are “too many” clauses to circumvent sanctions.
“You have dismantled the regulation”, said Daniel Freund (Greens/EFA, German) to the Commission. €7.5 billion represents only 15% of the EU funds received by Hungary. Mr Freund thinks that the Commission will unfortunately “adopt the procedure in December”. For Malin Björk (The Left, Swedish), the measures promised by Hungary are not enough.
A different voice. Nicolaus Fest (ID, German) said, “You can’t blame Hungary for much”. According to him, it is only conservative governments that incur the wrath of the Commission. “The population has had enough of this European interference”, concluded Mr Fest.
Jadwiga Wiśniewska (ECR, Poland) also railed against the procedure launched and Balázs Hidvéghi (NI, Hungarian) spoke of a “shameful attitude” from the European side.
Link to an EU Council document submitted to Coreper on Wednesday: https://aeur.eu/f/3dt (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)