MEPs discuss the situation in Hungary in the EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.

Brussels

meeting

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

SARGENTINI, Judith (Greens/EFA, NL)

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

hungarian constitution (T)

GOMES, Ana (S&D, PT)

EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights (T)

EU - Hungary (T)

The situation in Hungary: extracts from the report by Judith SARGENTINI (Greens/EFA, NL) EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/18776875/I153569Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (English), Judith SARGENTINI (Greens/EFA, NL), Rapporteur , This is not about influence from outside, this is not about asylum seekers or migration this is about the right of an Hungarian to be treated the way we all like to be treated, what we think is normal, what I think is normal when my State reaches out to me, and if that is touched I think we have the duty as the European Parliament to act and I would like also point here to Council and Commission to show that European values count.

SOUNDBITE (English), Judith SARGENTINI (Greens/EFA, NL), All the reference I am making is based on reports by others, none of this is &lsquo;&rsquo;Miss Sargentini is of the opinion that&rsquo;&rsquo;, all of this is based on research done elsewhere, I want to keep this as a factual as possible.What I have noticed while making this report is, and that it is painful to see, that they are actually relying on the UN, on the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, on the OCSE, on bodies outside of the Union, that bodies in the Union do not take this task upon them.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA (EPP, MT), Any threat to the Constitution of system of the country and issues like, ensuring the independence of the judiciary are important pillars of any European democracy. However, other points, such as the inclusion of one linked to the data protection or even an interpretation of social rights, would not, in our opinion, seem to fit with the ultimate aim of this report, let&rsquo;s be careful not to mix issues.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana GOMES (S&amp;D, PT), Only twenty four hours after the elections the Chief Rabbi of Hungary resigned, a major daily newspaper was shut down, a radio station stopped broadcasting. We can not, and should not, be silent when it comes to branches of fundamental values and article 2 of the Treaty.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana GOMES (S&amp;D, PT), We are fully in favour of triggering article 7 as we Members of the European Parliament should be the ones who take the values refers to in article 2 of the Treaty serious. We support the report that Judith Sargentini presented and her approach, indeed we believe that there is more and here I will have my own position very in deep more than just a risk of breach, there are breaches, clear breaches, there is a systemic threat to democracy and rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary. It is about time that the Council acts, it is about the Commission also acts and in particular I personally want to act. There is only one explanation why until this moment there was not action, it is because EPP has been protecting Mr. Victor Orban.