The European Union may deprive Hungary of voting rights if the country's leader, Viktor Orban, again blocks the €50 billion approval in financial aid to Ukraine during the February 1 summit.
Hungary might remain without the right to vote in the EU
Politico talked to its insiders in the EU and discovered that official Brussels is tired of years of soft approach to Hungary.
And this means that the "nuclear option" of revenge for Ukraine — removing Budapest from the EU voting process—is a currently genuine real scenario.
According to anonymous sources, members of the bloc are ready to oppose Hungary, which would be a historic step for leaders who rely on cohesion and unanimity.
If Orbán again blocks the agreement (on the budget and €50 billion for Ukraine) at the February summit, the use of Article 7 to deprive Hungary of the right to vote could become a real option, one of the insiders said.
What can prevent the EU from depriving Hungary of the right to vote
According to European leaders, Chapter 7 of the European Union Treaty allows the possibility of suspending the voting rights of a member state if it is found that it is seriously violating the basic principles of the EU.
However, some Central and Eastern European countries are wary of invoking Chapter 7 because they believe they may face similar rule of law scrutiny in the future.
So far, journalists have not been able to find out how Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, known for his pro-Russian position, will react to this idea.
Fico promised to do everything possible to protect Hungary in the EU.
More on the topic
- Category
- World
- Publication date
- Додати до обраного
