Hungary furious as EU lawmakers declare it no longer a ‘full democracy’
- European Union lawmakers assail Hungary for attacking democratic values
- Hungary’s foreign minister called Thursday’s European Parliament vote ‘an insult’
Hungary reacted furiously to a vote in the European Parliament that declared that the country was no longer a “full democracy” and that the European Union needed to act.
The response came after MEPs voted 433 in favour, 123 against, in favour of the resolution on Thursday.
It described Hungary as “a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy” in “serious breach” of EU democratic norms.
It blamed European Union inaction for having encouraged the slide away from democracy and said EU Covid recovery funds should be withheld from Budapest until it put its house in order.
The country is ruled by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who maintains close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The vote was largely symbolic and does not change the course of EU decision making, which requires unanimity of all 27 member states – including Hungary – to adopt positions on major issues, such as sanctions on Russia.