Belgium's EU presidency calls for Hungary's voting rights in EU to be revoked

Belgium, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council, is urging EU governments to consider starting a procedure to deprive Hungary, which takes over the presidency next month, of its voting rights.

Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib in an interview with Politico called for a no-confidence motion against Budapest under Article 7 of the EU Treaty, an extreme step that could lead to the suspension of the country's voting rights in the EU.

"We have a Europe that is making difficult headway, with unfortunately some states — one state in particular — increasingly adopting a transactional, blocking and veto attitude," the foreign minister said.

"I think we need to have the courage to make decisions: go right to the end of Article 7, activate Article 7 right to the end, which provides for the end of the right of veto," the minister added.

The European Parliament launched the first stage of the Article 7 procedure against Hungary in 2018, but the process reached a deadlock.

The next stage of this procedure is often referred to as the "nuclear option", as it involves the most severe political sanction the EU can impose on a member state – the suspension of voting rights in EU decision-making.

Hungary is set to take over the EU Council presidency in July, giving Budapest more power to set the agenda and priorities for the six-month period, even though Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán continues to obstruct EU decisions on critical issues.

"This is a moment of truth. Either we face up to our responsibilities, which requires political courage and willpower. Or we put in place mechanisms that don’t work. And so we have to choose," Lahbib said.

"If we go all the way with this mechanism, it must work. If it doesn’t work, we have to reform it. That’s the future of the European Union," she stressed.

Budapest has consistently slowed down EU aid to Ukraine or refused to provide it at all since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The European Parliament and Germany have questioned Budapest's ability to lead the EU Council from 1 July, but, according to Lahbib, Belgium insisted that Hungary should fulfil its duties until the end of the term.

"It’s also a reminder that being a member of the European Union means respecting values, having rights, having access to funds, being part of the single market, respecting the values of freedom, freedom of expression and the independence of the judiciary," the foreign minister said.

"That is why Hungary is now under the Article 7 procedure and increasingly isolated," she added.

After Brussels closed a similar case against Poland last month, Hungary became the only EU country to be subject to sanctions proceedings.

A spokesman for the Hungarian Permanent Representation to the EU said: "Hungary’s main concern now is to keep the EU out of the war in our neighbourhood. If war reaches the EU, then Article 7 will be the least of our problems."

Last week, sources said, Hungary blocked the approval of the draft negotiating framework for Ukraine's accession to the EU at a meeting of EU ambassadors over the issue of minority rights.

The Financial Times has recently reported that Hungary has blocked the EU's approval of the allocation of proceeds from frozen Russian assets to purchase weapons for Ukraine.

In addition, media reports indicated that Hungary threatened to disrupt EU sanctions against Russian liquefied natural gas exports.