Ahead of the hearing on Hungary in the General Affairs Council on 27 May 2025, the ICJ and five other organisations call on EU Member States (the Council) to take the Article 7.1 TEU procedure against Hungary forward by holding a vote to determine a clear risk of a serious breach of Article 2 TEU values by Hungary.
In light of the serious threat to human rights, the rule of law and democratic principles in Hungary, and nearly seven years after the triggering of the Article 7 procedure with no sign of progress, the Council needs to act.
Within the Article 7.1 TEU procedure, the organizations urge Member States to set out clear and timebound recommendations to the Hungarian authorities, to be addressed within six months at most. These recommendations should include the full implementation of all CJEU judgments and the repeal of all legislation which undermines the rule of law.
Should the authorities fail to implement these recommendations within the designated timeline, this would confirm the existence of a serious and persistent breach of Article 2 TEU values and would merit a vote under Article 7.2 TEU.
In addition, the Council should use the upcoming Article 7.1 TEU hearing and all other bilateral and multilateral fora to:
- Condemn the “Transparency of Public Life” Bill and call on the Hungarian parliament to withdraw it. Support the European Commission to urgently request the CJEU to grant interim measures in the ongoing infringement procedure on the Law on the Defence of National Sovereignty (Case C-829/24).
- Urge the European Commission to request an interim measure against the ‘Pride Ban’ law, either through the ongoing ‘Propaganda Law’ infringement procedure, or by opening a fresh infringement procedure against the new amendments package.
- Remind the Hungarian authorities of their obligations under international law and of their commitments to the International Criminal Court as an EU member state.
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Read the full open letter here.
Contacts
Karolína Babická, ICJ Senior Legal Advisor, karolina.babicka@icj.org
