The Hungarian Parliament has rejected the report of the European Parliament’s (EP) LIBE Committee (the so-called-Sargentini Report named after the MEP who compiled it) and instructed the government to seek legal recourse.
The Sargentini Report – passed with a slim majority by the EP in what Hungary says was fraudulent because abstentions have not been included in the vote tally – prompted EU proceedings against Hungary for breach of Article 7 of the Union’s Lisbon Treaty.
“The resolution instructs the government to not yield to blackmail, reject any attempt of exerting pressure (on Hungary) and do not cede the right to defend borders,” Fidesz caucus leader Máté Kocsis told journalists after the vote.
He said the vote also made it clear who in the Hungarian legislature represent national interests and who are those who side with the Brussels elite. All opposition parties voted against the resolution, except MPs of the far-right Jobbik, most of whom abstained and four of whom voted with no.
Following the resolution, the Hungarian government will turn to the European Court of Justice seeking the annulment of the vote.
