Péter Magyar stated on Thursday that he and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola discussed the possible cancellation of the EU's rule-of-law disciplinary procedure against Hungary. This was reported by Politico, according to UNN.
Details
"We agreed that the Article 7 procedure initiated against Hungary eight years ago — in response to concerns about the rule of law and democracy under the previous government — should be concluded by autumn," the Hungarian Prime Minister wrote on social media X after meeting with Metsola in Strasbourg. Péter Magyar, a former Member of the European Parliament, said he plans to address the parliament after the summer.
In 2018, the European Parliament launched the Article 7 procedure of the EU Treaties against Hungary, which allows for the suspension of a member state's voting rights in the event of a breach of the union's values. It is often referred to as the EU's "nuclear option." The procedure can be terminated if a majority of MEPs support such a decision, but no such discussions have taken place so far.
Metsola's office gave a more cautious assessment of the meeting, stating that she told Péter Magyar: "if the Parliament continues to see positive progress and concrete actions that address the Parliament's previous concerns, MEPs and group leaders will take this into account when considering next steps or possible timelines."
EU lawmakers took action due to the backsliding on rule-of-law principles under former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Although EU countries failed to gather the necessary majority to strip Budapest of its rights, the procedure remains in effect.
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After being elected Prime Minister in April, Péter Magyar requested the termination of the Article 7 procedure, as he plans to implement reforms to access over €16 billion in frozen EU funds.
Addendum
In April, Manfred Weber, leader of the center-right European People's Party, called for an end to the procedure against Hungary. Magyar's Tisza party is a member of the EPP.
At the same time, the lead rapporteur on the issue, Dutch Green MEP Tineke Strik, told POLITICO in April that the process must remain active until all concerns are addressed.
Sophie Wilmès, Vice-President of the European Parliament and a Renew MEP, stated that while changes with the new Hungarian government are evident, specific issues must be resolved. She said that considering a possible conclusion of the procedure requires "tangible progress on the ground," which will be assessed during a mission by the parliamentary rule of law monitoring body next October.
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