MEPs review the latest events regarding democracy and fundamental rights in Hungary and Poland, and the EU’s action to protect its shared values. Following the debate with the Commission, plenary vote on a resolution assessing the ongoing process of hearings in the Council with both countries, under Article 7 of the EU Treaty.

debate

plenary session

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

EU - Poland (T)

EU - Hungary (T)

Ongoing hearings under Article 7(1) TEU regarding Poland and Hungary: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, Last week, the commission sent a written notification to Hungary under the conditionality regulation. The Commission has identified a number of rule of law issues, including corruption related that constitute reasonable grounds for the launch of the procedure under the general regime of conditionality.

SOUNDBITE (French), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, I do very much regret honourable members that I am not in a position today to be able to report back to you about positive trends when it comes to the rule of law in Poland and Hungary. I can only hope that the ongoing procedures under Article seven will and the other procedures I referred to will allow the Polish and Hungarian authorities to give some thought to the way in which they are going to respond to the concerns that have been expressed.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jeroen LENAERS (EPP, NL), Putin's Russia should be a stark warning to all of us about the dangers of a system where checks and balances, democracy and rule of law have ceased to exist. And it should embolden us to fight for those values even more passionately at home. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Katarina BARLEY (S&amp;D, DE), It is not people in Hungary and Poland, who are at the moment doing such an excellent job welcoming refugees and giving them shelter. It is the governments that we have to address in this point. In Hungary we have not seen fair elections in last 9 years.

SOUNDBITE (English), Michal &#352;IME&#268;KA (Renew, SK), Many have said that we are now locked in a broader, protracted conflict between autocracy and democracy, between Vladimir Putin's model and our European model, between tyranny and between freedom, between brute force and between rule of law. And I agree that  this is the conflict that we are facing, which is precisely why now more than ever, it's important to to protect our democratic model in Europe

SOUNDBITE (English), Gwendoline DELBOS-CORFIELD (Greens/EFA, FR), The serious impact is on many Hungarian and Polish people who aren't properly taken into account because we've abandoned them to their fate, as it were, while still calling them European citizens. they may well feel abandoned.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, Because we are asking to Russia to have a full respect for a rule based international order, we need to continue to do the job at home in the EU. We need to be very aware about any possible breach of the rule of law.