Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) sitting on the Legal Affairs Committee voted to take the European Commission to court over the release of €10.2 billion in frozen funds to Hungary.
MEPs in the JURI committee believe the European Commission caved into blackmail by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the end of last year.
In December, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was accused of blackmailing the Commission after repeatedly blocking military aid for Ukraine. European leaders decided to unblock the funds the day before a decision was taken at the European Council Summit on sending more aid to Ukraine.
As part of the deal, von der Leyen's Commission released funds previously frozen due to concerns around judicial independence. In 2018 the Parliament initiated the Article 7 procedure against Hungary, following inaction by the Commission over concerns on the rule of law and democratic backsliding.
In February, MEPs voted by an overwhelming majority to take the Commission to court over this decision, following an assessment by the Parliament's Legal Services.
The Parliament will file the case in the coming days at European Court of Justice (ECJ).
"EU decisions cannot be bought and sold with cash," said Sergey Lagodinsky MEP (Greens/EFA - Germany), shadow rapporteur in the JURI Committee. "The Commission’s decision from December 2023 that allowed payments of over ten billion euros to Hungary was an act of extortion on behalf of Orbán, not an accurate assessment of reforms in Hungary."
To prevent such a slippery slope in the future, Lagodinsky continued, MEPs have been forced to intervene once again. "Initiating legal proceedings against the Commission is an extreme step but a necessary one. We cannot allow the Commission and Council to continue giving Viktor Orbán leverage to blackmail the EU, block the necessary decisions and continue his attacks on the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights in the country."
This week, Orbán was in Florida to meet former US President Donald Trump, and told reporters after the meeting that if re-elected, Trump will not give Ukraine any more money. The Hungarian leader has also opposed Sweden's NATO accession, using divisive tactics and leveraging opposition to membership for his own ends.
Last year, the European Parliament became the first EU institution to recognise Hungary as a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy instead of a democracy.
The European Parliament, based on a recommendation from the Committee on Legal Affairs drafted by Sergey Lagodinsky as the then standing rapporteur for disputes to the JURI committee, has already brought a court action against the Commission in 2021 for its failure to activate the so-called conditionality mechanism against Hungary.
