Members of the European Parliament express hostile atmosphere during mission in Hungary

A delegation of five members of parliament from the liberal, green, left, social democratic, and Christian democratic factions traveled to Hungary from Monday to Wednesday to evaluate the recent developments regarding democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental rights. The European Parliament is expected to publish a report in the fall as part of the Article 7 procedure that was initiated against Budapest in 2018.

The mission took place in a tense atmosphere. “I don’t think I’ve ever had such a difficult experience in discussions with representatives of majority parties or the authorities,” said Wilmès. “Even neutral questions about how things work were met with attacks.”

The delegation held talks with members of parliament from both the majority and the opposition, with the mayor of Budapest, and with a minister responsible for European affairs. The ministers of Justice and Interior refused to meet. About twenty NGOs also participated in various discussions.

During the talks, Wilmès expressed her “great concern.” She pointed to the increasing number of amendments to the constitution through emergency procedures and the use of the two-thirds majority in parliament, which the regime of Viktor Orban possesses, to justify violations of democratic principles.

Recently, the parliament approved an amendment to protect the mental and moral development of children. However, according to observers, this is intended to ban pride parades of the LGBTQ+ community. Human rights activists also fear that the amendment will lead to a broader ban on public gatherings, effectively silencing all forms of protest.