Hungary's controversial new laws are to go before the full Parliament after Commission judgement. Is the EU defending human rights or applying double standards?

Forum: MEPs continue lively LIBE debate on Hungary's constitution

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/15815735/d001-0020-en_mf.srt

Hello, and welcome to the debate  here on EuroparlTV.

The subject today is Hungary  and its controversial new constitution,

at a ceremony in Budapest's  splendid opera house

while demonstrators showed  their disapproval in the streets outside.

The European Parliament  raised concerns last June

and the new laws have been criticised  by other countries,

including the Obama administration  in the US.

The European Commission is looking  to see if the constitution breaches EU laws.

They have concerns about  the independence of the central bank,

measures related to the justice system  and the data protection authority.

We couldn't get a member of Hungary's  ruling party, Fidesz, to take part,

but I have with me four MEPs  with different views. I'll introduce them.

Sophia in 't Veld is an ALDE Member  from the Netherlands.

Marisa Matias is from Portugal  and she sits with the GUE/NGL Group.

We have one MEP from Hungary,  Krisztina Morvai,

And from the Socialists and Democrats,  Britain's Richard Howitt.

So can I come to you first of all,  Krisztina Morvai?

but the Fidesz government seems  unwilling to listen to other opinions.

It's interesting to be back in this studio.

I was last here in 2006 when the head  of the previous government,

the big privatiser, Mr Gyurcsány,  was shooting at the masses of people

who were demonstrating peacefully  on the 50th anniversary of 1956,

I'm greatly surprised that at that time  there was absolutely no outcry

by the European Union.  Nothing happened.

Hundreds of people  were very severely injured,

hundreds of people  were arbitrarily detained.

These are facts. The European Union  didn't do anything whatsoever.

The United States, by the way,  tortures prisoners in Guantánamo

and kills civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan,

so perhaps they should deal  with their own human rights issues.

Now there is this big problem  with Hungary.

I think that the most  fundamental human right

is in the Universal Declaration of  Human Rights, a United Nations document,

which says that self-determination  is the fundamental right of all people,

which means that  each people, each nation

has the right to determine  their own development,

economically, socially and politically.  -But they have to comply with EU law.

For instance, taking over control  of the central bank,

getting rid of judges over the age of 62,  which is in breach of the ageism laws,

There is some concern that  some of the laws introduced

don't comply with their obligations  under the European Union.

Wasn't there any obligation  not to shoot at peaceful demonstrators

or not to put people in prison arbitrarily?

are in breach of any laws  of the European Union.

There's going to be much better, more  efficient protection of data from now on,

because it's going to be an authority  as opposed to just an ombudsman.

Sophia in 't Veld.  -I disagree with Mrs Morvai.

She points out that  the previous left-wing government

may have violated  fundamental rights as well.

It's also true that the European Union  has turned a blind eye

to the violations of fundamental rights  in many countries, including my own.

I think it's part of the European Union  becoming a mature political union

Not only is the eurozone  our responsibility,

but also fundamental rights.  We are a community of values.

The two situations, the eurozone  and the discussion about Hungary...

And it isn't about Hungary,  but fundamental rights and democracy.

if we have treaties, conventions,  laws, agreements,

and we don't enforce them,  then are we still a union?

That is the question we face in  the eurozone, but we're also facing it now.

The one thing that I grant Mrs Morvai is  that we shouldn't single out one country,

although I think the situation in Hungary  is exceptional.

But there are fundamental rights  violations across Europe:

gay rights being violated,  media freedom restricted,

in my own country it's asylum seekers...

We get our wrists slapped  almost every day by the courts

The expulsion of the Roma from France...

There isn't a single country that doesn't  violate fundamental rights at some point.

I think the European Union  should be mature.

We have a charter of fundamental rights,  so we should enforce it.

Richard Howitt,  is this a case of double standards?

The EU is inclined to criticise  some governments and not others.

Not at all. When a far-right,  anti-democratic person

came into government in Austria  over 10 years ago now,

European Union law reflects  international human rights standards

and this selective quotation  of the Universal Declaration...

but the Human Rights Declaration  talks about freedom of expression.

The Council of Europe and UN experts  say it breaches freedom of expression.

The constitution is supposed to translate  all of the human rights conventions