During the EP plenary session (3-6 April 2017)&nbsp;in Strasbourg,&nbsp;&nbsp;Gianni PITTELLA (S&amp;D , IT), Sophia in 't VELD (ALDE, NL), Gabriele ZIMMER (GUE/NGL, DE), Ska KELLER (Greens/EFA, DE), and R&oacute;ża Gr&auml;fin von THUN UND HOHENSTEIN (EPP, PL) express themselves in front of the press on the latest developments on Hungary.

Strasbourg

PITTELLA, Gianni (S&D, IT)

press conference

KELLER, Ska (Greens/EFA, DE)

IN 'T VELD, Sophia (Renew, NL)

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

ZIMMER, Gabriele (GUE/NGL, DE)

EU - Hungary (T)

THUN UND HOHENSTEIN, Róża (Renew, PL)

Latest developments on Hungary: extracts from the press conference by Gianni PITTELLA (S&D , IT), Sophia in 't VELD (ALDE, NL), Gabriele ZIMMER (GUE/NGL, DE), Ska KELLER (Greens/EFA, DE), and Róża Gräfin von THUN UND HOHENSTEIN (EPP, PL)

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Gianni PITTELLA (S&amp;D, IT), Having attack the free media, strangled NGOs, built walls and denied the right of asylum Orban now wants to silence one of the main centres of knowledge study in Europe, the Centre European University (CEU).

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Gianni PITTELLA (S&amp;D, IT), Year after year, piece by piece, Orban is sailing the foundations of democracy in Hungary. To be clear, our criticism, our attack is against Orban, not against the Hungarian citizens. Our position is not to attack Hungary but to attack Orban.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Gianni PITTELLA (S&amp;D, IT), My group will be presenting an oral question. I think others will as well on violations of freedom and autonomy of the institutions in Hungary which will be discussed at the next Brussels session. Lastly, given such serious violations the Parliament and the Commission need to react in a decisive manner using regulatory and legislative means.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sophia IN&apos;T VELD (ALDE, NL), Mr Orban is no victim of anything or anybody. The real victims here are the Hungarian people who are denied access to good education, to academic freedom, to the full range of free media, to NGOs. Their freedom is restricted.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sophia IN&apos;T VELD (ALDE, NL), The EPP has given to Mr Orban a podium last week at the EPP party conference. Mr Weber has said that anti-EU parties should no longer be eligible for funding from the EU and at the same time he is protecting Mr Orban. Come on Mr Weber, show whose side you are on.

SOUNDBITE (German), Gabriele ZIMMER (GUE/NGL, DE), On 25 March with a new law there are being further restrictions on freedom so it is possible now to arrest children and collective deportation has been legalised. We are calling for the Commission to be active in the light of all this and also we are saying very clearly to the EPP it cannot be that the actions of a government party in your rank, is just not any party, is a governing party which is pushing this politics. These measures must come to an end and the EPP must take a stance.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ska KELLER (Greens/EFA, DE), This sort of inflammatory consultations are really not helpful, they are harmful because also because with that Orban is really spreading and inciting hatred and he is doing a blame game which I think is not at all healthy if we want to have a good cooperation inside the EU. Inside this question Orban also slashes Brussels, he also suggests that international and foreign support organisations which are basically NGOs, you know that they do a lot of good work in Hungary as well as elsewhere, are threatening the safety and sovereignty of Hungary like these sort of suggestive questions he has put forward in the consultation.

SOUNDBITE (English), R&#243;&#380;a Gr&#228;fin von THUN UND HOHENSTEIN (EPP, PL), The EPP to which I belong is not blind to those problems. What I can communicate to you now is that at 18h today we have our group meeting and in this group meeting the situation in Hungary and or this issue with the CEU will be profoundly discussed.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Gianni PITTELLA (S&amp;D, IT), If we have a strong majority including the EPP, then we have the numbers in the Parliament to trigger article 7. Otherwise we are just playing in Orban's hands or Kaczyński's hands. The EPP has to fall into line, and fall into line on the basis of their values. These are values of the Christian People's parties and you cannot do deals with people like Orban or Kaczyński.