Denmark's European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre said Copenhagen was stepping up its Article 7 proceedings against Budapest.
Denmark, which is taking over the EU presidency, is demanding that the entire legal arsenal be used against Hungary for violating the bloc's core values. In particular, this involves the use of Article 7, the so-called “nuclear option” against Budapest.
This was reported by the publication Politico.
“We continue to see violations [by Hungary] of fundamental values. That is why we will continue the Article 7 procedure and the hearings on Hungary,” Danish European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre told reporters in Aarhus, where the European Commission is visiting as Copenhagen takes over the rotating presidency of the EU Council.
Article 7 is a clause in the EU treaty that allows countries to vote to expel or punish a member that fails to comply with the bloc's rules. It is generally considered a “core” legal option that the EU has not yet used, despite Brussels declaring Hungary had broken its laws.
Bjerre said the bloc should also consider restricting access to EU funds for countries that violate European law.
How Blocking Hungary Will Help Ukraine
Another important issue for Denmark: EU enlargement. The minister drew attention to Hungary’s continued blocking of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, saying Denmark was “ready to explore all political and practical solutions to move forward.”
If EU countries decide to activate the Article 7 procedure, they could strip Hungary of its voting rights on European policy issues such as enlargement, thereby depriving Budapest of the ability to veto Ukraine's accession.
But diplomats warn that moving forward will require at least strong support from Paris and Berlin to mobilise the rest of the bloc – support that has been lacking so far.
With Hungary still categorically opposed to Ukraine's accession, there are speculations that the European Commission may decide to continue its consideration of Moldova's accession bid by formally launching a “group” of negotiations in the coming days.
Moldova and Ukraine are moving at the same pace towards EU membership, so their separation would be controversial. Bjerre said Denmark was not prepared to separate the two candidacies: “Our goal is still to open the first group with Moldova and Ukraine,” she said.
Recall that Hungary recently blocked the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU. At the recent summit of leaders, it was not possible to convince Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to support the start of the negotiation process.
