Hungary could be sanctioned for violating the principles of the European Union
Hungary's blocking of 50 billion euros of European aid for Ukraine, as well as Budapest's ongoing slippages from democratic rules, brought back to attention, in Brussels, the possibility of activating Article 7 of the EU Treaty, writes Rador. It provides that a country that seriously and repeatedly violates the principles on which the EU is based can be suspended from its membership rights, including the right to vote in the European Council.
The European Commission has so far opened all ways of appeal to correct Hungary's slippages from democracy: infringement, negative reports on the rule of law, including the blocking of European funds worth 21 billion euros.
The last measure, and the hardest, would be the activation of Article 7 of the European Treaty. This was also discussed in the past, but it became more and more acute after Hungary repeatedly started to block various types of aid destined for Ukraine.
The procedure for triggering Article 7 can be formally requested either by the Commission or by two-thirds of the Council. The final vote, however, belongs to the Council, which must have unanimity, a decision that will then be approved by the European Parliament.
The European Parliament, through various resolutions, requested the suspension of Hungary three times in the last year.
