In a letter to EU leaders, 63 members of the European Parliament called for the Hungarian government to be stripped of its voting rights in the Council. “The Hungarian presidency has only just begun and Prime Minister Orbán has already caused significant damage,” the report said.
The Hungarian presidency of the EU began on 1 July. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán “exploited and abused the role of the Council presidency”, according to members of the European Parliament, including Helmut Brandstätter and Anna Stürgkh of the NEOS and Lukas Mandl of the ÖVP.
The letter criticizes Orbán’s self-proclaimed peace missions since early July, especially with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing (see video above). The Hungarian has “deliberately misrepresented his powers” and “deliberately created the impression that he was acting on behalf of the entire EU.” He also undermines common EU positions, for example on a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The Hungarian government has repeatedly blocked decisions to support Ukraine in recent months.
“Conviction has no effect”
The letter calls on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Council President Charles Michel and Parliament President Roberta Metsola to do everything in their power to strip Hungary of its right to vote. “Verbal condemnations alone” would not work. “During his travels, Orbán is not only abusing his role, but also endangering the unity of the European Union (…). It is now urgent that we take action (…) to preserve the integrity and capacity to act of our Union,” said signatory Brandstätter.
So far, it has never come to this that an EU country has been deprived of its right to vote. The condition for this is a unanimous decision by the other member states. The European Parliament, which was elected at the beginning of June, will meet for the first time on Tuesday in Strasbourg.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
