Brussels – Let the EU Court of Justice intervene to stop the erosion of democracy in Hungary. This is the appeal made by a group of MEPs at the end of their mission to the Hungarian capital, where just a few days ago, street protests erupted against yet another civil rights crackdown wanted by Viktor Orbán, the authoritarian premier who recently amended the Constitution to restrict the freedoms of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs (LIBE) Parliamentary Committee delegation concluded its visit to Budapest yesterday (April 16), during which it was able to observe directly from the field the deterioration of democratic norms in the central European country by meeting with both civil society representatives and government officials.
Taking stock of the three-day mission, Dutch Greens MEP Tineke Strik (Strasbourg House rapporteur on the rule of law in Hungary) warned that the developments she witnessed are going “rapidly in the wrong direction.” She added: “We long for this country to become a true democracy again because we think Hungarian citizens should enjoy the same rights and values as all of us in the EU.”
Our mission to Budapest learned us about the ever deepening rule of law crisis in Hungary. Sad about the further crack down on judges, journalists, LGBTIQ community, NGO’s.
But deeply motivated to fight for their rights. https://t.co/0KUEDf1zh6 pic.twitter.com/O7LiPWnzUH
– Tineke Strik (@Tineke_Strik) April 16, 2025
The team, consisting of five MEPs, had arrived in the Hungarian capital on April 14 — the very day that the National Assembly (the Hungarian single-chamber legislature) approved a controversial constitutional amendment allowing the government to ban any demonstration in support of the LGBTQ+ community, starting with Budapest Pride, while also giving law enforcement agencies freedom to use biometric surveillance technologies such as facial recognition.
After witnessing the mass protests against the Assembly’s vote, European Parliamentary members urged the Commission to refer to the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) to suspend the effect of the new rules pending “further legal action.” At this time, Strik warned, organizers and participants of the highly popular event “risk being indicted for peacefully marching in support of diversity, equality, and freedom.”
According to Polish socialist Krzysztof Śmiszek, the regulatory changes are helping create “a very hostile atmosphere” for the LGBTQ+ community, which is already resulting in an “increase in physical and violent attacks and other types of hate crimes.” His fellow Christian Democrat Michal Wawrykiewicz pointed to an “indisputable deterioration of the situation” in the country, where there is now “an open denial of the rule of law.” Former Belgian premier Sophie Wilmès expressed strong concern about the executive’s pressures on the few remaining independent media, explaining that the capture of information by the government of Viktor Orbán has made smear campaigns “the new norm” in Hungary.
All MEPs also denounced the “very aggressive rhetoric” of state officials toward the LIBE delegation, which did not include members of the radical right in the Strasbourg hemicycle (Conservatives, Patriots – of which Fidesz, the governing party, is a member – and Sovereignists). On the streets of the capital were propaganda posters with the faces of Strik and other European politicians who are allegedly conspiring behind the scenes to sabotage Hungary. These include the head of the EU executive, Ursula von der Leyen, and the leader of the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber, who expelled Fidesz from the ranks of the Christian Democrats in 2021 and now does not miss an opportunity to lash out at the former ally.
On April 15, while the mission was still in progress, the White House announced the revocation of sanctions against Antal Rogán, a close associate of the Hungarian premier, calling them “inconsistent with US foreign policy interests.” Joe Biden imposed restrictive measures in the last days of his presidency in January for alleged corruption.
After all, the health of Hungarian democracy has been the subject of intense political debate in the EU for several years, with the European Parliament always standing among the staunchest critics of Orban’s authoritarianism (which he proudly defines as “illiberalism“). In recent times, the intolerance of the chancelleries toward the strongman of Budapest seems to have grown, mainly because of his closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which often results in vetoes (even temporary) on both sanctions to Moscow and support to Kyiv, hampering the action of the 27 member states.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
