Claude MORAES (S&D, UK), Chair of the LIBE Committee, Péter SZIJJÀRTÓ, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Marta PARDAVI, Co-Chair, Hungarian Helsinki Committee debate on the situation in Hungary, during a hearing at the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), in the EP in Brussels. Statements by Judith SARGENTINI (Greens/EFA, NL), Rapporteur, Péter SZIJJÀRTÓ, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Gábor POLYÁK, Research leader of Mertek Media Monitor, Monika HOHLMEIER (EPP, DE), Birgit SIPPEL (S&D, DE) and Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES).

Brussels

exchange of views

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

LÓPEZ AGUILAR, Juan Fernando (S&D, ES)

SIPPEL, Birgit (S&D, DE)

SARGENTINI, Judith (Greens/EFA, NL)

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

hearing

EU - Hungary (T)

HOHLMEIER, Monika (EPP, DE)

Hearing on the situation in Hungary: extracts from the exchange of views with Claude MORAES (S&D, UK), Péter SZIJJÀRTÓ and Marta PARDAVI

SOUNDBITE (English), Judith SARGENTINI (Greens/EFA, NL), Rapporteur, In May this year the Parliament instructed this Committee to, and I quote, 'to initiate the proceedings and draw up the specific reports with a view to holding a plenary vote on a recent proposal calling on the Council to act  pursuing Article 7.1 of the Treaty of the EU. And this in accordance to rule 83  of our rule, the rules of this House. The Parliament did so because as it is said in the resolution, it believe that the current situation in Hungary represents a clear risk of serious breach of the values referred to in Article 2 of the Treaty.

SOUNDBITE (English), Judith SARGENTINI (Greens/EFA, NL), Hungary is a test for the EU to prove its capacity and willingness to react to threats and breaches of its own funding values by a member state and it noted with concern that developments in some other member states show worrying signs of similar undermining of the rule of law as in Hungary.

SOUNDBITE (Hungarian), P&#233;ter SZIJJ&#192;RT&#211;, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hungary, Hungarians sometimes do not like the matter you say here. Hungarians do not like the way you are attacking the country.

SOUNDBITE (Hungarian), P&#233;ter SZIJJ&#192;RT&#211;, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hungary, We have Hungarians have a total different understanding of illegal migration and its impact from what you use to think in this Committee. Hungary is against illegal migration and rejects compulsory quotas.

SOUNDBITE (Hungarian), P&#233;ter SZIJJ&#192;RT&#211;, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hungary, , We do not want to accept a way of life under threat, under constant terrorist threat. We believe, the Hungarians believe that we have to stop illegal migration. We have to defend Europe's borders and we Hungarians believe that security has to be reinforced and restored in Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Marta PARDAVI, Co-Chair, Hungarian Helsinki Committee, This mere campaign against prominent NGOs such as the one I am working for are also very similar to what is going on in Russia. This is deeply concerning. Lately the government has began to make references to national security risks. Already at the end of November the PM and other government ministers, spoke about having instructed the domestic and foreign intelligence agencies to look into how the cultural network has links to what is called Brussels.

SOUNDBITE (English), G&#225;bor POLY&#193;K, Research leader of Mertek Media Monitor, Please allow me to list a couple of facts and just facts about the Hungarian media system today. These samples are pieces of a largest mosaic that we call soft censorship. There are not by themselves sufficient for illuminating the complex process that Fidesz strives to take full control of the media system from the digital television platforms, the local radios, all the way to the distribution of newspapers.

SOUNDBITE (German), Monika HOHLMEIER (EPP, DE), Conflicting terrorism and migration makes normal migrants look like terrorists and for me it is absolutely unacceptable. It gives the impression that every migrant is automatically a terrorist. My request to you is could you please try to change your language on this issue?

SOUNDBITE (German), Birgit SIPPEL (S&amp;D, DE), I have been down to the border and I have seen how it works and I must say it is rather horrifying that there are systematic abuses like putting zo;en in handcuffs to take them into the doctor. That is not really my idea of humanity.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Juan Fernando L&#211;PEZ AGUILAR (S&amp;D, ES), In terms of the EU commitment we are perfectly entitled to switch the flag to red when we see the level of government control over media, when we see the freedom of expression has been repressed, when we see the government has took control of NGOs and, particularly, when you say that there is a threat to Hungary national identity as a result of migration and detach yourselves from European policy.

SOUNDBITE (Hungarian), SZIJJ&#192;RT&#211;m P&#233;ter , Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hungary, Nobody says that every migrant is a terrorist, I have not said that. But if there is wave of immigrants of one and a half million people and this is irregular, this gives terrorist organisations opportunity to hide their terrorists in this wave and to send their terrorists to places where it would have been more difficult to send them to earlier. It is a fact that in the last two years the terror threat has increased all over Europe. It is a fact that the migratory pressure is going to increase.