Vitaly Saenko16:16, 18.01.24

The European Parliament’s resolution is not legally binding, but it increases pressure on Viktor Orban ahead of a summit of EU leaders where they will again try to agree on new aid for Ukraine.

The European Parliament has approved a resolution calling for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to be punished for undermining democracy in his country. The decision brings the EU one step closer to suspending Budapest’s right to vote on EU decisions.

According to Reuters , 345 members of the European Parliament voted for the relevant resolution, 104 members were against it. In particular, MEPs condemned the “deliberate, persistent and systematic efforts of the Hungarian government to undermine the fundamental values ​​of the EU.”

The resolution also criticized Orban for vetoing more financial aid for Ukraine at a time when Kyiv is fighting a full-scale Russian invasion.

In addition, the resolution calls for another step in the law and order procedure, which could ultimately lead to the suspension of Hungary’s voting rights in the European Union.

It is also said that the penalty mechanism defined in Article 7 of the general provisions of the Treaty on European Union is lengthy and complex, which means that the option of a maximum penalty is unlikely in the foreseeable future.

At the same time, the approved resolution in the European Parliament is not legally binding, but it increases political pressure on Orban ahead of the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels on February 1, during which there will be another attempt to agree on new aid for Ukraine.

Orban blocks EU aid to Ukraine

As UNIAN reported, in December 2023, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, at the European Union summit in Brussels, vetoed aid to Ukraine in the form of 50 billion euros from the European Union.

At the same time, President of the European Council Charles Michel said that the European Union has the tools to guarantee assistance to Ukraine. He is confident that Ukraine will be provided with funding despite the Hungarian veto.

According to the Financial Times, the EU is already preparing a contingency plan for allocating new aid to Ukraine in the amount of up to 20 billion euros.

At the same time, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky said that already on February 1 he expects a positive result on unblocking the creation of a Ukrainian fund worth 50 billion euros from the European Union.

(C)UNIAN 2024