The European Parliament's Plenary seeks to dial down the EU's supervisory role over Hungary, emphasizing national sovereignty and legal clarity. This stance, emerging predominantly from the European Sovereignists and Nationals (ESN) group, promises to ruffle feathers among EU regulatory bodies, Hungary’s government, civil society activists, and taxpayers invested in upholding EU values.
This perspective is drawn from an amendment document titled "Interim Report on the Proposal for a Council Decision Determining, Pursuant to Article 7(1) of the Treaty on European Union, the Existence of a Clear Risk of a Serious Breach by Hungary of the Values on which the Union is Founded," published on November 13, 2025, stemming from the European Parliament Plenary session.
The document is an amendment to an ongoing Article 7(1) procedure, not fresh legislation but a critical position statement with 15 detailed amendments proposed by the ESN group. These amendments question the objectivity of the Article 7 process and advocate ending the procedure against Hungary, citing remedial actions already undertaken. While not legally binding, the report signals political intent and aims to influence Council decisions.
Policy directions emerging from these amendments prioritize minimizing EU intervention in areas lacking explicit EU competences, call for depoliticized and impartial enforcement of EU rules, and resist using EU funds as leverage. The ESN group stresses Hungary's discretion in sensitive sectors like higher education and migration, pushing back against characterizations of systemic threats to EU values. This introduces a cleavage between increasing EU oversight and national sovereignty, specifically advocating reduced EU regulatory intervention and enhanced Member State autonomy.
Stakeholders impacted include the EU regulatory bodies, whose supervisory powers the amendments seek to constrain, Hungary’s national authorities gaining latitude, EU civil society advocates wary of scaling back enforcement, and EU taxpayers who finance conditionality mechanisms. While Hungary and its government may welcome greater autonomy and reduced compliance burdens, EU oversight entities and civil society face challenges in maintaining influence and upholding EU foundational values.
Institutionally, this amendment report marks a continuation of the Article 7 process, setting the tone for forthcoming Council deliberations and potential pushback from other political groups or EU institutions committed to rule-of-law enforcement.
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