EU Parliament launched Article 7 procedure in 2018.
Péter Magyar said Thursday that he and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola discussed the EU dropping its rule-of-law disciplinary procedure against Hungary.
“We agreed that the Article 7 procedure launched against Hungary eight years ago — in response to concerns over the rule of law and democracy under the previous government — should be concluded by autumn,” the Hungarian prime minister wrote on X after a meeting with Metsola in Brussels. Magyar, a former MEP, said he planned to address the Parliament after the summer.
In 2018, the Parliament triggered Article 7 of the EU treaties on Hungary, which allows for the suspension of a member state’s voting rights if it breaches the bloc’s values. Often referred to as the EU’s “nuclear option”, Article 7 can be dropped if a majority of lawmakers back such a move, but there have been no discussions on doing so.
Metsola’s office gave a more cautious readout on the meeting, saying she told Magyar “that should Parliament continue to see positive progress and concrete actions that address the Parliament’s previous concerns, it would be for MEPs and group leaders to take that into account when considering next steps or any potential timeline.”
EU lawmakers took action over rule-of-law backsliding under former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. While EU countries did not reach the required majority to suspend Budapest’s rights, the process remains active.
Since he was elected prime minister in April, Péter Magyar has requested that the Article 7 process be halted, as he plans to introduce reforms to access over €16 billion in EU funds that had been frozen.
In April, the head of the center-right European People’s Party, Manfred Weber, called for the end of Article 7 proceedings against Hungary. Magyar’s Tisza party is a member of the EPP.
However, the lead lawmaker on the Article 7 file, Green Dutch MEP Tinneke Strik, told POLITICO in April that the process should remain active until all concerns are addressed.
Sophie Wilmes, Parliament vice president and Renew MEP, said that while the shift brought in by the new Hungarian government is undeniable, the specific concerns raised during the Article 7 procedure must be addressed. “Considering bringing it to an end calls for being able to demonstrate tangible progress on the ground. This will be the purpose of the DRFMG [Parliament’s rule of law monitoring body] mission next October, which will allow us to assess the situation in a concrete and objective manner,” she said.
CORRECTION: This article was updated on June 18 to correct the location of the meeting.