European Parliament (EP) Vice President Katarina Barli (SPD) called for Hungary to be stripped of voting rights in the European Union (EU)
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Barley argued that Hungary was abusing the EU’s unanimity principle as a means of blackmail. However, she added that the country’s voting rights could be suspended for violating the rule of law.
“Especially in Hungary, one can no longer talk about democratic and legal relations,” Barley stressed.
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, she said, has taken the country completely into his own hands piece by piece.
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Major decisions taken at EU level often require the unanimity of all member states.
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“This principle dates back to the time when the EU consisted of six countries,” said the Vice President of the European Parliament. “Now we are 27, and this is no longer practical. The problem, however, is that the principle of unanimity can only be abolished by a unanimous decision,” concluded Barley .
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Earlier on Thursday, the European Union refused to impose sanctions against the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill because of the position of Hungary, which opposed the restrictions. Orban recently justified his position on the issue of religious freedom of the Hungarian religious communities. This, in his opinion, is “sacred and inalienable.”
