Hungary wants less power for the European Parliament

Hungarian lawmakers passed a resolution to curb the powers of the European Parliament by 130 votes to 50, saying it had paralysed European democracy. The legislation aims to curb the parliament's powers by stipulating that EU lawmakers should no longer be put in power through elections by voters in their respective countries, but by appointment by each national government. It is an opportunity for Budapest to expand its rights and prerogatives.   

The decision comes after the European Parliament last week voted on three resolutions aimed at speeding up the democratic process. To this end, MEPs voted on a first resolution aimed at improving the rule of law mechanisms, a second resolution proposing to remove the right of veto and finally a last resolution proposing that Brussels should have more control over national policy making.  

These new resolutions worry Budapest and, in particular, Hungarian legislators close to Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party, which advocates the need to limit the powers of national governments. These frictions come on top of those in the context of the Ukraine war, during which Budapest has been particularly critical of the EU's sanctions policy against Russia.  

In the same week of 10 July, the European Parliament adopted by a large majority (355 votes 'for' and 154 'against') a resolution urging the Council of the European Union to 'urgently' amend the European treaties to overcome the bloc's crippling requirement of unanimity on certain decisions and sanctions.

Faced with these various resolutions, Hungary, whose ruling Fidesz party is particularly Eurosceptic, is concerned about the flexibility it will ultimately have to torpedo proposed EU legislation. The resolution thus voted by Hungarian lawmakers explains their disapproval of recent developments in the European Parliament by arguing that "European democracy must break the stagnation to which the European Parliament has led it" before going further by stating that "the European Union must change because it is not ready for the challenges of our time". In addition, the resolution takes a swipe at the European treaties, stating that "they are not an adequate basis for cooperation in times of crisis".  Furthermore, Hungarian lawmakers propose to integrate the European Christian context more strongly into the treaties, as well as removing the goal of full integration of EU members into European methods.  

This tug-of-war between Budapest and Brussels is not the first and now comes in a particular economic context, as it follows the European decision to withhold recovery and credit funds for Hungary, mainly because Brussels considers that Budapest has not made the necessary efforts to implement the rule of law and tackle the problem of corruption. In addition, the monetary and financial situation of Victor Orbán's Hungary is now facing many difficulties, with, among other things, a currency that is reaching record levels against the euro or the dollar, as well as one of the highest inflation rates in the last 25 years.