The European Union “must react” swiftly to overturn the decision of the Hungarian government to alter the country's constitution, MEPs have said.
Both the leaderrs of the Liberals and Greens have said that there needs to be a formal challenge to the move by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party to limit the powers of the constitutional court, and increse the powers of the parliament.
Speaking in Strasbourg on 12 March, the day after the Hungarian parliament voted to bring in the changes, Daniel Cohn-Bendit chair of the Greens said that his group would formally discuss the matter with the European Commission as well as the other political groups with a view to bringing about an EU intervention in the affair.
While there has been much concern over the past few months over the actions of the Orban government with regards to constitutional changes, this latest round of changes seem to be the “straw that broke the camel's back”.
Cohn-Bendit said “it is important that the European Parliament and the member states react – and that centre-right parties react”. The Fidez party belongs to the main centre-right political faction, the EPP.
Earlier in the day, the socialist MEP, Stephen Hughes, noted the silence of the group following the Hunagarian vote. He called on the Hungarian president to withhold his signature form the bill.
The Green chair said “it is clear that Hungary has gone beyond the rule of law and the common good.”
These statements were echoed by Liberal leader, Guy Verhofstadt, who said that the changes to the Hungarian constitution represent a clear risk to democracy in the European Union, and represent “a failure to apply the treaties”.
He said under article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty, any one of the EU institutions can intervene in the matter.
He said that an emegency debate should be held during the current plenary session, and be included on the agenda of the spring summit, being held at the end of the week. He also urged the commission to discuss the matter at their upcoming college meeting.
A report by the parliament's civil liberties committee on the ongoing constitutional changes in Hungary is due to be published in April. After that, said Verhofstadt, the parliament “will be able to take immediate action”.
Later on, during the plenary chamber, Verhofstadt asked Viviane Reding, the EU Commisioner for Fundamental Rights, who was also present, to push the commision to take action.
During some heated exchanges on the subject, he said that the parliament should include in its current agenda a debate on the topic. “What cannot happen,” he said, is that this plenary session can end without debate. What is happening is that Mr Orban is laughing at us”.
He aslo called on Joseph Daul, the leader of the EPP, to claify his group's position on the matter.
“I am asking Mr Daul if he has the courage to stop his support for Mr Orban, who is in a clear breach of EU rules”.
