On Friday 12 January, Finnish EPP MEP Petri Sarvamaa announced that he had collected 120 signatures on a petition calling on the EU Council to activate the voting procedure provided for in Article 7 of the Treaty against Hungary in order to establish the existence of a clear risk of violation of European values (see EUROPE 13325/20).
This is the stage preceding a decision on the withdrawal of voting rights from a member country concerned by this procedure. The European Parliament will debate the situation in Hungary on 17 January, in the context of the debates on the last European summit in December, and a new resolution is being prepared to be put to the vote on 18 January.
“We are on the verge of withdrawing Orban’s right to vote”, the MP enthused on X.
“The content of the resolution is currently being negotiated, and I see it as very possible that Article 7.2 (of the Treaty, i.e. the 4/5 majority vote by the EU Council) will be included in one form or another”.
According to a European diplomatic source, the European Parliament’s willingness to move may be “a pressure point”, but many Member States are reluctant and do not want a precedent. Nor would the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council be very interested in a vote on Article 7. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)