EP cttee releases draft report criticising Hungary rule of law

The European Parliament's civil liberties committee has released a draft report criticising the state of the rule of law in Hungary. Last spring, the EP's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) was asked to prepare a report on Hungary with a view to holding an EP vote on launching the first steps of Article 7, which suspends voting rights. Green MEP Judith Sargentini said there was a "clear risk of a serious breach by Hungary of the values of the European Union", which she said warranted launching the Article 7 procedure. were a candidate country today, it would not be admitted into the bloc, she insisted. Fidesz MEP Kinga Gal said: "The reason why they're smearing Hungary is because it won't fall in line, but instead stands up to the mandatory resettlement of migrants." She said the discussion about the situation in Hungary was "completely devoid of objectivity". Gal said the potential Article 7 procedure against Hungary "looks like a pre-arranged show trial that will end with a pre-determined political verdict".