18/01/2012. Today’s debate in the European Parliament indicated that the Hungarian government is facing further EU pressure on fundamental rights. Commissioner Viviane Reding confirmed that the European Commission will want more through explanations if Hungary’s answers on the current situation are unsatisfactory.
Some Parliamentary groups are suggesting that if the Hungarian government is satisfied that the current constitution and laws do not offend fundamental rights under EU laws, then it should not be afraid of an EU assessment under Article 7 of the Treaty.
“No accession country would be allowed to join the EU [today] if the situation was similar to the one in Hungary,” said Renate Weber, coordinator for the ALDE group on the Parliament’s Civil Liberties committee. “A country where the national parliament has become an annexe to a single ruling political party, or where a highly respected constitutional court has been transformed into a weightless body, and where the written press is dominated by self-censorship, the audio-visual media is under political control and radio frequencies are conferred in an arbitrary fashion.”
She continued, “Article 7 paragraph 1 must be seen as a normal procedure provided by our own Treaty to defend EU fundamental principles, values and rights. Fighting for them this time in Hungary would prove to other member states that we are ready to fight for their full respect in the whole European Union.”
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