A group of MEPs has called on the European Commission to immediately cut off funding to Hungary due to systematic violations of European values and the undermining of democracy by the government of Viktor Orban. This was reported by LRT.
The letter, signed by 26 MEPs from several key political factions – from the Greens to the European People’s Party – refers to an “alarming regression” in Hungary. The deputies state that the country is not only showing no desire for reforms, but is, on the contrary, strengthening authoritarian tendencies.
The appeal mentions the recent adoption of a law that effectively bans LGBTQ pride parades in Budapest, as well as reforms aimed at undermining the independence of the judiciary and putting pressure on critics of the Orban regime.
“Continuing to fund a corrupt regime that openly undermines European values is unacceptable. We call on the European Commission to use all available legal mechanisms to completely cut off funding to Hungary,” the MEPs stressed.
The EU has already frozen billions of euros for Hungary due to violations of the rule of law, including in the treatment of asylum seekers and corruption schemes. However, MEPs consider these measures insufficient and insist on a more decisive response from Brussels.
This call coincides with Orbán’s increasingly harsh rhetoric against the EU and his attempts to build an alternative model of “illiberal democracy” within the union.
