EU Parliament Debates Rule of Law in Hungary – November 2025 Update

This article is being updated as more information becomes available.

The European Parliament will debate the rule of law in Hungary on Monday, November 24, as the first item on the agenda for this week’s plenary session. The discussion stems from a report already debated at the committee level and approved on November 5, which addresses concerns about the rule of law in Hungary and its impact on the country’s access to European Union funding.

The debate centers on an interim report prepared by Dutch MEP Tineke Strik, examining a procedure initiated under Article 7 of the EU treaty due to rule of law concerns within Hungary. The report builds on previous discussions and a fact-finding mission conducted by the Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee (LIBE). A vote on a resolution responding to the report is scheduled for noon on Tuesday, November 25, and would call on the European Commission and the Council of the European Union to continue the Article 7 procedure launched against Hungary in 2018.

Report Author: Situation in Hungary Has Deteriorated Over Past Seven Years

Tineke Strik opened the debate by briefly presenting her report, which is based on the findings of the LIBE committee’s fact-finding mission. Strik began by welcoming European Commission representative McGrath, but expressed disappointment that the Council was not represented at the discussion, as the current impasse in the procedure lies with the governments of EU member states.

Seven years have passed since the parliament began the Article 7 procedure against Hungary, and it is very worrying and saddening that in this second interim report we conclude that Hungary continues and exacerbates the violation of the EU’s fundamental values.

Strik stated, adding that over the past seven years, she believes the independence of the judiciary, corruption, media freedom, and the situation of civil society have all worsened.

Hungary has become a hybrid regime, an electoral autocracy.

Strik said, explaining that this was the conclusion reached in the report, before criticizing the Council and the Commission for failing to act decisively.

Strik urged the Council and the Commission to address the situation in Hungary more effectively, arguing that nothing has changed in the last seven years except that they have watched as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has “become richer.”

She called on the Commission to freeze all EU funds allocated to Hungary until these concerns are addressed, and urged the Council to declare that fundamental EU values are at risk in Hungary, followed by a vote on sanctions, including the suspension of the country’s voting rights within the Council.

European Commission: Progress Made in One of Eight Areas

Michael McGrath, the Irish Commissioner for Democracy and Demographics, represented the European Commission during the debate. McGrath began by thanking the report’s author and stating that the rule of law is a cornerstone of the EU, which the Commission takes seriously.

McGrath recalled that the Council has held nine hearings on the rule of law in Hungary, with the European Commission participating in each one, and believes these hearings should continue as long as the Article 7 procedure remains open.

This assessment was also included in the Commission’s annual rule of law report.

McGrath noted that €18 billion in EU funds allocated to Hungary are currently suspended, with an additional €1 billion already permanently lost.

Regarding corruption, McGrath stated that the European Commission maintains these concerns until Hungary protects European taxpayers’ money, or, as he put it, until the risk of corruption is eliminated.

He concluded by emphasizing that the European Commission is monitoring the situation in Hungary.

European People’s Party: All Standards Are Getting Worse in Hungary

Michal Wawrykiewicz, a Polish MEP and spokesperson for the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), which includes the seven MEPs of the Tisza Party, presented his group’s position. Wawrykiewicz was one of the shadow rapporteurs for the current report.

He explained that the report was based on the findings of the European Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights, the European Commission, and the lessons learned from their missions.

All the standards relating to the rule of law and the preservation of human rights are in an even worse state than when we previously visited as a delegation of the European Parliament.

The Polish MEP stated, concluding his remarks by explaining that the report details why they are advocating for the continuation of the Article 7 procedure.

Socialists: Orbán’s System is Unbridled Arbitrariness

Klára Dobrev, president of the Democratic Coalition, spoke on behalf of the Socialists & Democrats (S&D) group.

Dobrev began her speech with a rhetorical question: “What is it like to live in a country where one party has unchecked power and one person has absolute authority?” She believes this question is rarely asked, but that this parliament has “been ringing the alarm bells for 15 years that Hungarian democracy is over, and it is right.”

Orbán Viktor’s system is the very embodiment of unbridled arbitrariness, power without limits.

Dobrev stated, then illustrated her point with specific examples: she believes administrative and state authorities “tremble” at the prime minister’s instructions, because only those instructions matter.

Meanwhile, a political mafia is getting richer, the market economy has practically disappeared in the country, and the whole system is run by corruption.

The DK MEP said that the authorities trample on everyone’s rights and declare everyone an enemy who disagrees with them, and that they even consider the European Union to be an enemy. She believes this system can only be maintained with money taken from citizens.

In fifteen years, one of the best countries in Central Europe has become one of the poorest.

Dobrev believes this is because one party has held power for fifteen years. She then criticized the European Commission and the Council, stating that they have only “legalized, asked questions, and listened,” and that it took ten years for them to take action, which required the European Parliament.

She concluded by saying that Hungarians are waiting for change and want a future where no one has absolute power.

Patriots for Europe: Report Written by Orbánophobes

Kinga Gál, vice-president of the far-right Patriots for Europe (PfE) group, founded by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, presented her group’s position.

Gál stated that Hungary has been the target of a political witch hunt for fifteen years “with increasingly absurd accusations and increasingly frustrated accusers.” She believes it doesn’t matter what the report is called,

There is nothing new under the sun, the record is the same: lies and double standards at their best.

The Patriots’ vice-president believes the report lacks facts and that the accusations are based on cross-references from political activist NGOs that have since been found to be “fulfilling orders, receiving money from abroad to discredit Hungary.”

Hungary is still being attacked because it defends national interests, does not allow illegal migrants into the country, does not allow gender ideology into schools, stands for peace in Ukraine as soon as possible, and rejects accelerated membership. That is why they would punish it by withholding all funds and brutally blackmailing it with the threat of withdrawing its right to vote.

Gál believes the report is an attack on national sovereignty and abuses the concept of the rule of law, and therefore they will submit an alternative proposal. She then accused the People’s Party and the left of attacking what they do not like.

She believes they are openly saying they want to change the government in Hungary and have already chosen who they want to lead the country, but she believes Hungarian voters will not be misled by such “false reports.”

ECR: This Debate Is Not About EU Values, But a Political Weapon

Georgiana Teodorescu, an MEP for the Romanian AUR party, presented the position of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group.

The Romanian MEP primarily argued that it is the Council, not the Parliament, that can continue the Article 7 procedure, and that the basis of the report is flawed because justice and education are national competencies, and LGBTQ+ rights cannot be cited because they relate to value commitments.

This debate is not about EU fundamental values, but has become a political weapon against a particular government. The sole purpose is to deprive Hungary of its right to vote in the Council.

Teodorescu concluded her remarks by stating that if Hungary can be punished for its conservative values, other countries could face the same fate.

(Cover image: Thierry Tronnel / Sygma / Getty Images)