MEPs pressures Brussels to stop all funding for Budapest
(MENAFN) Over two dozen members of the European Parliament have urged the European Commission to immediately halt all EU funding to Hungary, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government. The call comes ahead of a meeting of the EU’s foreign ministers, where further sanctions, including suspending Hungary’s voting rights, are expected to be discussed.
In a letter addressed to EU Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin and Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath, 26 MEPs accused Hungary of breaching EU laws and values. They cited four key grievances, including a recent law passed in March that effectively bans pride parades—a measure aligned with Orban’s stance against “LGBT ideology.”
The MEPs also criticized proposed legislation that would increase oversight of political groups receiving foreign funding, which they argued could stifle Hungary’s civil society. They claimed that these policies indicate a high risk of EU funds being misused and argued that a full suspension of financial support would be a justified and proportionate response.
Hungarian MEP Csaba Domotor defended Budapest, accusing the targeted organizations of advancing foreign interests using grants from the EU, the Open Society Foundation, and the now-defunded USAID. He framed the criticism as politically motivated opposition to Hungary’s conservative policies.
Hungary has repeatedly come under fire from Brussels over its stance on LGBTQ+ issues and laws mandating greater transparency for NGOs with foreign funding. The country has also clashed with EU leaders over support for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia. Prime Minister Orban has warned that bringing Ukraine into the EU could escalate the conflict and described the EU’s plan to phase out Russian energy imports by 2027 as “absolute insanity.”
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has argued that such policies would hurt EU member economies by driving up energy costs, weakening national sovereignty, and damaging European businesses.
Some EU officials, including Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, have called for invoking Article 7 of the EU Treaty to suspend Hungary’s voting rights. Proceedings under Article 7 were first launched against Hungary in 2018, and the EU General Affairs Council is scheduled to revisit the case for the eighth time next Tuesday.
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