Germany’s new government says it will pressure the European Union to finally add some toughness to some countries – in a veiled allusion to Viktor Orban’s Hungary, Politico writes.
The conservatives of new Chancellor Friedrich Merz and their likely centre-left coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), have agreed to demand that the Bloc suspend funding and suspend voting rights for countries that violate key principles such as the rule of law, according to a draft coalition agreement seen by the publication.
Although Hungary is not mentioned, the draft agreement explicitly refers to this EU offender, which for years has been accused of destroying democratic norms, curtailing press freedom and restricting the independence of judges.
The German winning parties-Merz and the SPD, which led the last government-are currently in coalition talks and must agree on fundamental principles before taking office. The agreement to pressure the EU to pursue countries like Hungary is part of a series of previous agreements covering issues as diverse as migration policy, coal phase-out and social costs.
“Existing defence tools — from infringement proceedings and withholding of EU funds to suspension of membership rights such as voting rights in the EU Council — should be applied much more consistently than before,” negotiators from the conservative Merz and SPD bloc wrote in a draft coalition agreement on EU policy.
The European Parliament launched the first stage of the Article 7 procedure — also known as the “nuclear option” — against Hungary in 2018 over suspicions of “serious violations” of the bloc’s core values and fundamental rights. But the process, which could lead to the suspension of Hungary’s voting rights, has stalled due to political differences between member states.
In 2022, the European Commission decided to block some 22 billion euros of EU cash earmarked for Hungary over concerns about human rights and judicial independence. It eventually unfroze more than 10 billion euros in 2023, sparking a backlash.
Another point of contention between the EU and the Hungarian government is Orban’s friendliness towards Moscow, as Budapest has repeatedly used its veto power to block sanctions against Russian oligarchs and military leaders.
To circumvent this veto, the new German government wants to ” advocate for an expanded qualified majority vote in the EU Council, especially on certain issues of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), such as the imposition of sanctions.” This would allow decisions to be taken without the need for Hungarian approval.