63 members of the European Parliament called to deprive Hungary of the right to vote in the European Union after Prime Minister Viktor Orbánʼs trips to Russia and China.
This is stated in the letter of MEPs, which was obtained by Politico.
The signatories appealed to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Mezzola. In the letter, they claim that Viktor Orbán "has caused significant damage by using and abusing [Hungaryʼs] presidency of the EU Council."
In particular, MEPs mentioned Orbánʼs "peacemaking" visits to Russia and China, during which he "deliberately distorted his powers" and left the impression that he was acting on behalf of the entire EU. Because of this, European high-ranking officials, in particular EU High Representative Josep Borrell, had to emphasize that Orbánʼs visits take place exclusively within the framework of Hungaryʼs bilateral relations with Russia and China.
Against this background, the deputies call for "decisive measures" to be taken as soon as possible. In particular, to suspend Hungaryʼs right to vote in the EU Council under the procedure applied to countries that have violated the values of the European Union, since verbal condemnation of Orbánʼs actions "have no effect."
The signatories note that Orbán is actively promoting a political agenda that contradicts the EUʼs general positions and damages the blocʼs image.
What preceded
On July 2, Orban came to Kyiv, where he held talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It was his first visit to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war. During the meeting, Orban called the war an invasion of Russia, but asked Zelenskyy for a ceasefire.
Already on July 5, Orban came to Moscow and met with the leader of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. One of the key topics of the meeting was the Russian Federationʼs war against Ukraine and its "peaceful settlement". On July 8, Orban came to China as part of his "peace mission". Zelenskyy noted that Orban cannot be a mediator in the issue of ending the war.
The leadership of the European Union criticizes Viktor Orbán for his uncoordinated visits to Russia and China, and therefore could not represent the position of the EU. Orban himself called these trips a "peaceful tour." Western media write that the EU already wants to punish Orbán and Hungary — in particular, to ignore the summit in Budapest. Some EU officials have discussed in private conversations the possibility of depriving Hungary of the presidency of the Council of the EU on a rotating basis.