EU votes to punish Hungary over 'breaches' of core values

[left-of-center2012]

Source: BBC

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government has been accused of attacks on the media, minorities, and the rule of law - charges which he denies. The European Parliament has voted to pursue unprecedented disciplinary action against Hungary over alleged breaches of the EU's core values.

Since coming to power, Mr Orban's government has taken a hardline stance against immigration. It introduced a law which made it a criminal offence for lawyers and activists to help asylum seekers, under the banner of "facilitating illegal immigration".

After the vote, the European Parliament said it was also concerned about:

The constitutional and electoral system
Privacy and data protection
Freedom of expression and religion
Academic freedom and freedom of association
Equal rights, particularly for refugees and minorities such as Roma and Jews

Dutch MEP Judith Sargentini:
"It is up to the European leaders to take their responsibility and stop watching from the sidelines as the rule of law is destroyed in Hungary,"

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45498514

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[lark]

1. Hungary, Austria, Poland and Slovenia have formed a regional pact.

They are all moving right in unison and I heard several times that they feel much closer to this new Union (I forget what they called it) than they do to the EU. I asked the guide how bad were their relations with the EU? She said there's been ongoing talks between the 4 countries of leaving the EU together if EU insists on them taking in immigrants. She thinks it's "not unlikely".

I sure don't like this swing of the pendulum, can't wait for it to go back leftward.

[left-of-center2012]

2. Hungary's erosion of democracy

https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/12/europe/hungary-orban-eu-vote-intl/index.html

Since Orbán's populist right-wing Fidesz Party swept into power in 2010, and most recently won a landslide victory again in April this year, it has come under increasing fire from the EU over its hardline policies.

In the ideological battles between European leaders, most notably over migration, Hungary has also made common cause with Italy. At a meeting with Orbán last month, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini declared that the anti-migrant leaders were "walking the same path," as opposed to the pro-migrant policies of French President Emmanuel Macron.

The vote comes nine months after the European Commission used its power to launch the same process against Poland.