Sargentini report to be tabled at EP

As the European Parliament prepares for the debate on the rule of law in Hungary and the possible activation of Article 7 to suspend Hungary’s voting rights, pro-government columnists accuse the author of the report Judith Sargentini of serving the interests of George Soros. A left-wing columnist, on the other hand, thinks that pro-government pundits act as propagandists for the government.

Magyar Hírlap’s Mariann Őry accuses Judith Sargentini of serving the interest of the “network of Soros organizations”. The pro-government columnist finds it absurd to suggest that basic rights are in danger in Hungary. She also claims that the Sargentini report is full of factual mistakes. Őry thinks that the whole report is motivated by the fear among liberal elites that the people of Europe will soon realize that “non-European migrants are colonizing the continent”.

In Mozgástér blog, Miklós Szánthó calls the report a blend of ‘outright lies’ and ‘false accusations’. The pro-government lawyer thinks that the Sargentini report is based on the assumption that the EU can interfere in all national issues even if they are not directly regulated by EU law. If the EU follows this principle and Hungary is punished for the alleged violation of EU norms, national sovereignty will hollow out in the EU, and after Hungary, the sovereignty of other EU member states can also be curbed by the EU Parliament and Commission, Szánthó argues.

In Népszava, György Sebes contends that the Hungarian government and pro-government media are using the Sargentini report to foment hatred towards the EU and George Soros. The left-wing commentator suspects that all this is intended to boost Fidesz support at the 2019 European Parliament election. Sebes accuses pro-government media commentators of trying to outbid each other in their “propagandistic” criticism of the Sargentini report, as they scrabble to earn PM Orbán’s recognition.

Tags: democracy, European Parliament, infringement procedure, Soros