The EU may reconsider its approach to Orbán if he wins the election — Politico
The European Union is discussing the possibility of taking a tougher stance toward Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán should he win the April elections. According to media reports, a number of EU member states may initiate serious negotiations on further action due to Budapest’s regular use of its veto power during the adoption of joint decisions.
This is reported in a Politico article.
The European Union has so far avoided serious confrontation with Hungary. For example, it has not stripped Budapest of its voting rights. However, these cautious calculations may well change after the elections, diplomats and officials told the publication on condition of anonymity ahead of the EU leaders’ summit on March 19.
“Hungary’s behavior has hit a new low,” Swedish Minister for European Affairs Jessica Rosenkrantz told the publication. When asked whether Stockholm would consider using legal instruments against Hungary, specifically Article 7 of the EU Treaty to suspend its voting rights, she replied: “We are certainly prepared for that.”
If Orbán is re-elected, “there will be a serious discussion among the group of countries on how to deal with this situation in the future,” one diplomat told the publication.
This discussion would likely take a different course if opposition candidate Péter Magyar wins, as he “has made it clear that he wants to act more constructively.” If Magyar’s party wins, EU leaders will likely adopt a wait-and-see approach to observe how the new government behaves.
Exactly what the EU will do if Viktor Orbán wins remains an open question. So far, it has proved impossible to secure the support of 26 out of 27 EU countries for an Article 7 procedure against Budapest.
But other legal options, such as tying EU funds to even stricter conditions regarding the rule of law, are already being considered, diplomats noted. There is also talk of taking Orbán to court for his obstruction of a €90 billion loan to Ukraine.
Viktor Orbán refusedto call the strikes on Iran the start of a war.
As a reminder, Orbán is preparing to take extreme measures in the event of an election defeat.
Orbán also called on Britain to take a tougher stance against illegal migration.
