Hungary has reacted furiously to a vote in the European Parliament declaring that the country is no longer a “full democracy” and that the European Union must act.
Her response came Thursday after MPs voted 433 in favor and 123 against the resolution.
It described Hungary as “a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy” in “serious violation” of EU democratic norms.
Lawmakers raised concerns about Hungary’s constitutional and electoral system, the independence of the judiciary, possible corruption, irregularities in public procurement, LGBTQ+ rights, and media, academic and religious freedoms.
The country is ruled by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The vote was largely symbolic and does not change the course of EU decision-making, which requires unanimity from all 27 member states – including Hungary – to adopt positions on key issues such as sanctions against Russia.
But Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told reporters in Budapest: “I consider it an insult to a Hungarian person when someone questions Hungary’s capacity for democracy.”
He was amazed that some in Brussels and Strasbourg insisted on “downplaying” his country, he added.
Szijjarto also said that Hungarian voters “have decided in four consecutive parliamentary elections what kind of future they want for the country” by voting for Orban and his party.
“We are angry that some people in Strasbourg and Brussels think that the Hungarian people are not mature enough to decide their own future,” he added.
With their vote, EU lawmakers endorsed a parliamentary report that said Hungary had fallen behind on democratic rights and fundamental rights since 2018 due to “considered and systematic efforts by the Hungarian government”.
The lack of action by EU institutions, including the Commission, which acts as the “guardian” of the EU treaties that set democratic standards, has exacerbated the deterioration, the report said.
The vote, which took place during a plenary session in Strasbourg, France, does not impose a penalty on the Orban government, nor does it oblige other EU countries to take specific measures.
Concerns about corruption
It was also the latest in a series of showdowns between EU institutions and the Orban government in Budapest.
Hungary has routinely blocked joint statements, decisions and events ranging from high-level NATO meetings with Ukraine to an EU vote on corporate tax and a joint EU position on an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire.
EU countries have been cautious towards Hungary because of the need to win its approval on important decisions.
But diplomats are privately frustrated by Orban’s cozy relationship with the Kremlin and his blocking of further sanctions against Moscow.
The commission has also been careful to avoid open criticism, but unease at Hungary’s departure from the rule of law, particularly its failure to curb corruption, is becoming increasingly evident.
Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in her speech on the state of the European Union to the European Parliament on Wednesday that the EU must “fight for our democracies”.
Her EU executive will work to protect member states “from the external threats they face and from the vices that corrode them from within,” she said.
Although she did not name Hungary directly in this context, she promised legislative measures to intensify the fight against corruption, including against “illegal enrichment, influence and abuse of power”.
EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders told MEPs in a debate on rule of law violations in Hungary that the Commission shares “a large number of concerns expressed by the European Parliament” regarding Budapest.
In 2018, the European Parliament launched proceedings against Hungary’s endangerment of European democratic values.
The EU has also allocated 5.8 billion euros ($5.8 billion) to Hungary from its COVID-19 recovery fund. But Budapest’s spending plan for the funds was not signed by Brussels over corruption concerns.
In theory, the mechanism could result in Hungary losing its right to vote in the Council of the EU, where member states make decisions affecting the bloc.