EU Parliament Triggering Article 7 Forcing Hungary to Accept Migrants

EU Parliament Triggering Article 7 Forcing Hungary to Accept Migrants – YouTube

Hungary will not be blackmailed, PM Orban tells EU

Breaking News – EU votes for action against Hungary

The EU Parliament has voted in favor of triggering Article 7 which would allow punitive measures against Hungary. Brussels earlier slammed Budapest for its migration policies and “media suppression.”

The Article 7 of the 2007 Treaty of Lisbon, often dubbed ‘nuclear option’, is designed to be applied if there is “a clear risk of a serious breach” of the EU values by one of the member states.

The full implementation can strip Budapest of voting rights in the European Council. The EU parliament decision is, however, not the final step. For the procedure to move forward “a majority of four fifths” of the members of the European Council need to vote that Hungary is “in clear risk” of breaking the EU rules. But before making such a decision, they must hear out Hungary’s arguments.

During the session in Strasbourg on Wednesday, 448 MEPs voted in favour of invoking the article against Hungary, while 197 voted against the motion and 48 abstained. It is claimed that Hungary’s prime Minister Viktor Orban and his government have been persistently flouting democratic principles.