EU using Article 7 to pressure Hungary to conform: Minister

By Merve Berker

ANKARA (AA) – The European Union has been utilizing Article 7 to pressure Hungary into aligning with the bloc's mainstream stance on important issues, Hungary’s minister for European Union affairs said Tuesday, according to local media.

Janos Boka expressed optimism, however, that post-EU election discussions on the rule of law would become more objective and constructive, the Hungarian national news agency MTI reported.

Speaking before an EU affairs ministers meeting where the Article 7 procedure against Hungary to suspend its right to vote on some EU decisions was on the agenda, he anticipated that the voices linking the procedure to specific negotiation positions would diminish.

Although the procedure itself, as a political tool, was unlikely to change and would continue to apply pressure on Hungary regarding certain political issues, Boka said he expected the intense rhetoric and conflict-seeking to subside.

He said Hungary’s taking over of the EU’s six-month rotating presidency next month would lead to strategic discussions on key policy areas for the next institutional cycle.

The democracy protection package was also on the agenda of the European Council’s meeting today in Luxembourg, with ministers set to hold a policy debate on a proposal for establishing harmonized requirements on transparency of interest representation carried out on behalf of third countries, he added.

Boka also affirmed Hungary's stance against malign interference in the EU's electoral process and committed to advancing this issue during Hungary's presidency.