European Union legislators voted overwhelmingly in favour of launching punitive action against the Hungarian government for flouting democratic rules in a stunning political blow for Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

With 448 votes in favour, 197 against and 48 abstentions, the motion passed in the plenary session on Wednesday, the first time ever the European legislature triggered an Article 7 procedure against an EU member state.

The unprecedented vote could allow Hungary's EU voting rights to be stripped.

Dutch Greens MEP Judith Sargentini, who spearheaded the vote, smiled broadly and breathed a sigh of relief before embracing her supporters in parliament in the French city of Strasbourg.

"It is a positive sign of this parliament taking responsibility and wanting action," Sargentini told a press conference afterward.

She had urged colleagues not to let Hungary off the hook, declaring that Orban's rule "violates the values on which this union was built".

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said before the vote that the commission "will resist all attacks on the rule of law" in an annual state-of-the-union speech in the European Parliament.

Juncker went on to say the commission, which proposes EU legislation and oversees implementation of decisions, "continues to be very concerned by the developments" in some EU member states and promised to employ the rule-of-law procedure against any governments that veer from the EU's democratic principles.

EU 'blackmail'

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wasted little time in slamming the vote as "nothing less than the petty revenge of pro-immigration politicians".

"This decision condemning Hungary and the Hungarian people was made because we Hungarians have demonstrated that migration in not a necessary process and that migration can be stopped," Szijjarto told reporters in Budapest.

Since sweeping to power in 2010, Orban has pressured courts, media, and non-governmental groups, as well as refusing to take in asylum seekers arriving in Europe.

Though the EU has often protested, it largely failed to stop what his critics decry as Orban's growing authoritarianism.

But a surge in support for nationalist and populist politicians across the bloc galvanised a stronger reaction. Speaking in front of the assembly on Tuesday, Orban said he would not bow to the EU's "blackmail" and stick to his policies.

Refugee stance

The vote was hailed as "historic" by Berber Biala-Hettinga, Amnesty International's expert on human rights in the EU.

"The European Parliament rightly stood up for the Hungarian people and for the EU. They made it clear that human rights, the rule of law and democratic values are not up for negotiation," she said.

In June, Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly passed a law imposing jail terms for anybody seen to be aiding undocumented immigrants.

The law targets rights groups and NGOs and allows banning of organisations.

In addition to the bill, the parliament also passed a constitutional amendment stating an "alien population" cannot be settled in Hungary.

Szijjarto said Hungary was considering legal options to appeal the result because of the way the vote was tallied.

He also claimed the vote involved "massive fraud" since abstentions weren't counted into the final tally, which made it easier to reach the needed two-thirds majority.

'Afraid of foreigners'

Uli Brueckner, a professor of European studies at Stanford University in Berlin, told Al Jazeera the vote was made because of Hungary's "misfunctioning democracy".

"In a populous agenda, it is always useful to play the blame-game, and the blame-game here is 'we are afraid of foreigners'. It is always useful to play a blame-game. It instrumentalises people's fears," Brueckner said of the government's policies.

Aside from its anti-immigrant stance, Orban's government is also accused of silencing independent media and academia, removing independent judges, cracking down on organisations helping homeless people, migrants or disadvantaged groups, such as Roma, and condoning government corruption.

The vote means the other EU states must now look at what to do with Hungary.

The most severe punishment under the Article 7 procedure is stripping Hungary of its voting rights in the EU. However, that move is highly unlikely as the rest of the EU needs unanimity.

Poland's nationalist and anti-immigration government - against which the EU Commission has slowly enacted Article 7 procedures over the last two years over concerns about the independence of its judiciary - is expected to block any tough action against Orban.

"Poland is very worried by the decision taken by parliament today," Joanna Kopcinska, spokeswoman for Poland's ruling Law and Justice party, told AFP news agency.

Kopcinska said the vote threatens the EU's unity. "It is necessary to resolve such disputes through dialogue and not diktat," she said.</s>The EU Parliament has voted in favor of triggering Article 7, which would allow punitive measures against Hungary over its migration policies and "media suppression." Budapest fired back, calling the vote "petty revenge."An official probe launched by the European Parliament claimed earlier that the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban poses "a systemic threat to democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights"in the country. Hungarian officials were accused of clamping down on courts and the press, as well as mistreating migrants and ethnic minorities.The EU parliament's decision is, however, not the final step.But to do that the Council has to vote unanimously and hear Hungary's arguments first.Wednesday's vote will lead to "an enormous backlash" within the EU, MEP David Coburn from the UK Independence Party (UKIP) told RT. He noted that Orban is a popular figure at home and abroad, and his position will garner support in Britain, France, and the Czech Republic among other places.Coburn, whose party voted in support of Hungary, argues that the MEPs didn't treat Orban fairly."Quite frankly, it was a Stalinist show trial. It was appalling.Former UKIP leader, Nigel Farage also weighed in.Orban for his part said before the vote that his country won't bow to "blackmailing" by the EU and vowed to continue his policies.he warned.He and his government have been long-time critics of any EU attempts to force Hungary into accepting migrants.It's the second time in the history of the European Union, when its parliament greenlights triggering the Article 7 proceeding against one of its 'misbehaving' members.Warsaw condemned the move as "politically motivated," advocating its rights to exercise own sovereignty. Back then, Hungary was quick to rescue, promising to veto the decision of the European Council.</s>STRASBOURG — The European Parliament passed a motion on Wednesday declaring that Hungary is at risk of breaching the EU’s core values, triggering a disciplinary process that could exacerbate deep divisions within the bloc.

The assembly approved the motion with 448 votes in favor to initiate the so-called Article 7 process for the first time, citing concerns about judicial independence, corruption, freedom of expression, academic freedom, the rights of minorities and migrants, and other issues. A total of 197 members of the European Parliament opposed the motion and 48 abstained.

The vote reflects a divide within the EU, between those who stress that it is a community of liberal values, and leaders such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has championed the idea of “illiberal democracy.” Broadly speaking, major Western European governments such as France and Germany along with the European Commission are in the former camp while governments in Central and Eastern Europe are in the latter.

The Commission initiated Article 7 proceedings against Poland last year, citing concerns about government influence over the judiciary and other rule-of-law issues.

The Article 7 process can lead to a member country being stripped of its right to vote in the Council of the European Union. Things are unlikely to get that far with either Poland or Hungary, however, as it would require the unanimous approval of other member countries — and multiple EU governments do not want to take that step.

Orbán has clashed repeatedly with Brussels in recent years, most notably over his hard-line rejection of Muslim refugees and migrants. But he has also faced criticism for crackdowns on Budapest’s Central European University and NGOs, and for a more general “Stop Brussels” anti-European Commission campaign he mounted last year.

The vote increases the pressure on leaders of the European People’s Party, the center-right bloc that makes up the largest group in the Parliament, to suspend or expel Orbán’s Fidesz party from their ranks. More liberal parties in the group have pushed to have Fidesz removed but Manfred Weber, the EPP leader in the Parliament, has indicated he does not want to heed their calls.

Shortly before the vote, Weber tweeted that he would back the motion but the EPP group “wants to keep the dialogue and continue bringing Europe together. The dialogue should begin, not end, in the upcoming weeks and months.”

But he also added, “It is clear for us that our European values are not negotiable.”

Immediately after the vote, MEPs gave a standing ovation to Dutch Green MEP Judith Sargentini, who drafted the report upon which the resolution was based.

“I am so proud that my Hungary report has the support of the European Parliament, but this is foremost about the rights of Hungarian citizens. I thank my colleagues that stand for the protection of democracy and the rule of law, above their interest in party politics,” Sargentini said.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó decried the vote as “revenge” by pro-migration politicians. He also said it involved “cheating” because abstentions were not counted in determining whether the necessary two-thirds majority had been met.

Nigel Farage, the U.K. Independence Party MEP, slammed the vote, declaring that “the authoritarian grip of the EU gets even tighter.”

This article has been updated.

Read this next: European Parliament votes to adopt copyright reform</s>The European Parliament on Wednesday voted in favor of kick-starting disciplinary action against Hungary that could see some of the central European nation's voting rights restricted for failing to abide by European Union core values.

Lawmakers in Strasbourg voted 448 to 197 in favor of triggering the hitherto dormant Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union, which could punish Prime Minister Viktor Orban's nationalist government should the decision be adopted by EU leaders at the Council.</s>The lawmakers voted 448-197 in favor of a report recommending the launch of a so-called Article 7 procedure, which could lead to the suspension of Hungary's European Union voting rights.

BRUSSELS — European Union lawmakers voted on Wednesday to launch action against the Hungarian government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban for allegedly undermining the bloc's democratic values and rule of law. Hungary called the vote fraudulent and vowed to challenge it.

The lawmakers voted 448-197 in favor of a report recommending the launch of a so-called Article 7 procedure, which could lead to the suspension of Hungary's European Union voting rights.

It is the first time in EU history that the European Parliament had initiated and approved such a motion, which needed a two-thirds majority to pass and was approved by 69.4 percent of the lawmakers.

For years, Orban had been able to deflect much of the international condemnation thrown his way. Critics say that Hungary's electoral system is disproportionate; media freedoms and judicial independence are dwindling; asylum-seekers and refugees are mistreated and there are limits placed on non-governmental organizations.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, echoing Orban's longtime position, called the Wednesday's vote "petty revenge" against Hungary for its tough anti-migration policies.

"This decision condemning Hungary and the Hungarian people was made because we Hungarians have demonstrated that migration in not a necessary process and that migration can be stopped," Szijjarto told reporters in Budapest.

He also claimed that the vote involved "massive fraud" since abstentions weren't counted into the final tally, which made it easier to reach the needed majority.

There were 48 abstentions, so the 448 in favor exceeded the two-thirds needed only because it was based on 645 votes. If the abstentions were counted into the final tally, there would have been a total 693 votes, so the 448 in favor wouldn't have reached two-thirds.

Szijjarto said Hungary was considering legal options to appeal the result because of the way the vote was tallied.

But Judith Sargentini, who presented the report prepared by the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, welcomed the outcome.

"Viktor Orban's government has been leading the charge against European values by silencing independent media, replacing critical judges, and putting academia on a leash," Sargentini said. "The Hungarian people deserve better. They deserve freedom of speech, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice and equality, all of which are enshrined in the European treaties."

"This is a historic result for Hungarian citizens and for European citizens everywhere, that the European Parliament has voted by a large majority to stand up for the values we all hold dear," Sargentini said.

Several non-governmental organizations targeted by the Orban government with restrictive rules — including a special tax on activities considered as promoting immigration and the criminalization of the aiding of asylum-seekers and refugees — also hailed the vote's outcome.

"We welcome the European Parliament's decision to defend the rule of law and confront the Hungarian government's attempts to shut down civil society and independent voices in the media and academia," said Heather Grabbe, director of the Open Society European Policy Institute. "MEPs across the political spectrum have taken a historic stand in defending the EU's democratic values and the rights of its citizens."

Grabbe's organization is part of the Open Society Foundations set up by Hungarian-American billionaire and philanthropist George Soros, an ideological opponent of Orban and blamed by the Hungarian leader, along with the NGOs Soros supports, for promoting mass immigration into Europe. Soros has repeatedly denied the allegations.

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee, which offers legal aid to asylum seekers and refugees and has been a frequent target of Orban's criticism, said that the EU vote "has made it clear that illiberal democracy is against the core values of the European Union."

The move saw some members of the European People's Party bloc — of which Orban's Fidesz movement is a member — vote against their ally in Budapest.

Even EPP leader Mandred Weber, who earlier was supportive of Orban and is seeking to become the European Commission president next year, said he had voted for triggering Article 7.

"I have always been in favor of building bridges and I want to continue to do so, but yesterday (Tuesday) I didn't see any readiness from the Hungarian PM to make a move towards his EU partners and address our concerns," Manfred tweeted.

While Weber had called on Orban to show a willingness to compromise on some of the most high-profile issues — like an agreement being delayed by the Hungarian government for the Central European University, founded by Soros, to remain in Budapest and recent laws criminalizing the work of civic groups working with asylum-seekers and refugees — Orban remained steadfast that his policies wouldn't change.

"I have nothing to compromise about since the questions they objected to were decided by the Hungarian people," Orban said Tuesday in Strasbourg, France, after the debate in the European Parliament on the report on Hungary. "There is nothing to talk about."

Orban, who was re-elected in April to his third consecutive term in office, fourth overall also said Tuesday that he expected lawmakers to approve the motion with the support of some EPP lawmakers.

"The order has arrived from Berlin and they will vote accordingly," Orban said, in reference to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose governing Christian Democratic Union is the largest party in the EPP.

Orban has insisted that all of the criticism against his government is based on Hungary's tough anti-immigration policies, which include fences built in 2015 on Hungary's southern borders with Serbian and Croatia to divert the flow of migrants and very restrictive asylum rules.</s>Some 448 members of the European Parliament voted in favor of the triggering of the punitive measure against Hungary, with 197 voting against and 48 abstentions. The vote took place in the Strasbourg plenary session.

The procedure could result in Hungary being deprived of its voting rights in the Council of the European Union. The measure also opens the door for sanctions against the country. Following the EU Parliament's approval, the motion will pass on to the leaders of the EU's 28-member states.

READ MORE: Orban Under Fire as EU Parliament Debates Hungary's Human Rights Record

Last year, the European Commission commenced the same procedure against Poland over its judicial reforms.

READ MORE: Hungary to Protect Borders, Stop Illegal Migrants, Stand Up to EU If Needed — PM

Hungary has long been critical of the European Union's open-door policy, which was initially introduced at the onset of the continent's immigration crisis, and opposed mandatory migrant relocation quotas. Budapest's stance prompted the European Commission to launch its first infringement procedure against Hungary over its asylum legislation in December 2015. Hungary, in particular, set up border fences and enhanced border controls with neighboring Serbia.

READ MORE: EU Plan to Distribute Migrants Will Increase Threat of Terrorism — Hungarian FM</s>European Union lawmakers voted on Wednesday to launch action against the Hungarian government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban for allegedly undermining the bloc's democratic values and rule of law. Hungary called the vote fraudulent and vowed to challenge it.

The lawmakers voted 448-197 in favor of a report recommending the launch of a so-called Article 7 procedure, which could lead to the suspension of Hungary's European Union voting rights.

It is the first time in EU history that the European Parliament had initiated and approved such a motion, which needed a two-thirds majority to pass and was approved by 69.4 percent of the lawmakers.

For years, Orban had been able to deflect much of the international condemnation thrown his way. Critics say that Hungary's electoral system is disproportionate; media freedoms and judicial independence are dwindling; asylum-seekers and refugees are mistreated and there are limits placed on non-governmental organizations.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, echoing Orban's longtime position, called the Wednesday's vote "petty revenge" against Hungary for its tough anti-migration policies.

He also claimed that the vote involved "massive fraud" since abstentions weren't counted into the final tally, which made it easier to reach the needed majority.

There were 48 abstentions, so the 448 in favor exceeded the two-thirds needed only because it was based on 645 votes. If the abstentions were counted into the final tally, there would have been a total 693 votes, so the 448 in favor wouldn't have reached two-thirds.

Szijjarto said Hungary was considering legal options to appeal the result because of the way the vote was tallied.

But Judith Sargentini, who presented the report prepared by the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, welcomed the outcome.

"Viktor Orban's government has been leading the charge against European values by silencing independent media, replacing critical judges, and putting academia on a leash," Sargentini said. "The Hungarian people deserve better. They deserve freedom of speech, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice and equality, all of which are enshrined in the European treaties."

"This is a historic result for Hungarian citizens and for European citizens everywhere, that the European Parliament has voted by a large majority to stand up for the values we all hold dear," Sargentini said.

The move saw some members of the European People's Party bloc — of which Orban's Fidesz movement is a member — vote against their ally in Budapest.

Even EPP leader Mandred Weber, who earlier was supportive of Orban and is seeking to become the European Commission president next year, said he had voted for triggering Article 7.

"I have always been in favor of building bridges and I want to continue to do so, but yesterday (Tuesday) I didn't see any readiness from the Hungarian PM to make a move towards his EU partners and address our concerns," Manfred tweeted.

While Weber had called on Orban to show a willingness to compromise on some of the most high-profile issues — like an agreement being delayed by the Hungarian government for the Central European University, founded by George Soros, Orban's ideological opponent, to remain in Budapest and recent laws criminalizing the work of civic groups working with asylum-seekers and refugees — Orban remained steadfast that his policies wouldn't change.

"I have nothing to compromise about since the questions they objected to were decided by the Hungarian people," Orban said Tuesday in Strasbourg, France, after the debate in the European Parliament on the report on Hungary. "There is nothing to talk about."

Orban, who was re-elected in April to his third consecutive term in office, fourth overall also said Tuesday that he expected lawmakers to approve the motion with the support of some EPP lawmakers.

"The order has arrived from Berlin and they will vote accordingly," Orban said, in reference to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose governing Christian Democratic Union is the largest party in the EPP.

Orban has insisted that all of the criticism against his government is based on Hungary's tough anti-immigration policies, which include fences built in 2015 on Hungary's southern borders with Serbian and Croatia to divert the flow of migrants and very restrictive asylum rules. He has also expressed his desire to remain within the EPP, which he said was "deeply divided" on the issue of migration.

The vote, however, has little chance of ending up with the ultimate penalty of Hungary being suspended from voting in the EU. If nothing else, its Polish ally would veto that.

The 197 votes cast against the parliament's first bid to launch the punitive process of the EU treaty's Article 7 also highlighted the substantial minority of European opinion who see Orban as a crusader for the rights of nation states and ethnic majorities against rules of civic behavior agreed in Brussels.

Since sweeping to power in 2010, Orban, once a campaigner against Hungary's Soviet Communist overlords, has used his parliamentary majority to pressure courts, media and non-government groups in ways his opponents say breach EU rules.

He has also led opposition to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others who want Europe to take in more Muslim refugees.

With Britain about to leave the bloc altogether in March and Europeans voting in European Parliament elections in May, the row over Hungary -- and Poland, which faces a similar sanctions procedure launched by the executive European Commission in 2017 -- highlights tensions between nationalist and federalist camps.

All the applause for the Hungarian leader on Tuesday came from the far right of the chamber, notably among supporters of France's Marine Le Pen and the UK Independence Party.

Geert Wilders, the leader of the Dutch anti-immigration Freedom Party, called the vote - which also weighed on Hungarian assets - "a bloody shame".

"Orban is a hero and deserves the Nobel Prize. He closed the borders for Islamic fortune seekers. He protects his citizens against terror and defends the identity of his country," he said.

The Commission has preferred to pressure Budapest through standard legal powers, but the head of the EU executive, Jean-Claude Juncker, also an EPP member, said he would have voted for the move if he were a lawmaker.</s>In Hungary, Social Conservatism and Authoritarianism Aren’t the Same

Here’s a plea from the right: We should all stop helping budding authoritarians by conflating cultural liberalism with democracy. There’s a difference, after all, between a conservative vision for society and autocracy. And if we treat them as the same thing, it only shrinks the coalition of those willing to resist authoritarianism. Nowhere is this clearer than in Europe, where the European Parliament is debating a new report and a draft resolution on the rule of law in Hungary. It was by Judith Sargentini, a Dutch parliamentarian from the GreenLeft party.

Instead of limiting itself to a detached, value-neutral assessment of the gradual erosion of checks and balances in Hungary, attacks on the country’s free media and judiciary, and rampant cronyism in which European Union-funded government contracts have made oligarchs connected to Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s party, Fidesz, astronomically rich—all of which are very very concerning—the report mixes in several sections on social issues. Hungary’s electoral system, which essentially guarantees a two-thirds majority in parliament for Fidesz, is covered but in just a few bullet points. The report could have also spent pages more on the corruption that has surrounded the use of EU funds that Hungary receives; a two-year investigation by the EU’s anti-corruption agency, OLAF, found irregularities in 35 projects in Hungary between 2011 and 2015. On all of those fronts, valid criticism should be and is addressed at Orban, cutting across partisan and ideological lines.

But the report’s author also attacks Orban on an issue for which he has overwhelming domestic support: the country’s draconian immigration and asylum policies. Criticism is directed at the country’s July 2015 decree “designating Serbia as a ‘safe third country’” to which Hungary can turn back asylum-seekers as if that decree were materially different from the deal struck between the EU and the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016, which traps Syrian asylum-seekers in Turkey. Indeed, it isn’t that different from the overall approach by the European Council in June this year.

And there is more. Hungary has not complied, the report states, with an EU directive that requires employers “to adapt working conditions for pregnant or breastfeeding workers.” Worse yet, its “constitutional ban on discrimination does not explicitly list sexual orientation and gender identity” and “its restrictive definition of family could give rise to discrimination as it does not encompass certain types of family arrangements, including same-sex couples.” At times, the document reads as if written by one of Hungary’s own left-wing opposition parties: “[M]easures taken to reduce the maternal mortality have been insufficient,” “minimum amount of old-age pensions is inadequate,” “maximum duration of payment of jobseeker’s allowance is too short,” “minimum amount of rehabilitation and invalidity benefits, in certain cases, is inadequate,” and “it has not been established that there is an adequate supply of housing for vulnerable families.”

The point is not that those are unimportant or illegitimate issues to raise. There is definitely a time and place for a discussion of Hungary’s immigration policies, its treatment of sexual minorities, or the generosity of its welfare state. And hardly anyone can disagree with the statement that Hungarian “Roma continue to suffer systemic discrimination and inequality in all fields of life,” which is a true and inexcusable blemish on the country’s reputation.

However, a report on the rule of law and poor health of Hungary’s democracy is not the place to delve into such issues. Some are artifacts of Eastern Europe’s relative economic backwardness and apply to most countries in the region. The monthly jobseeker’s allowance in Romania, for example, amounts to barely over 100 euros, a fraction of that in Hungary. But more importantly, the rationale for enforcing common standards for, say, the generosity of social safety nets across the EU has been always flimsy. Reasonable people in different European countries can disagree over that question. Where they should not disagree is the basic parameters of their political systems, summary firings of judges, or the fact that there is no daily printed opposition newspaper published in Hungary at the moment.

The mixing of the two issues, social conservatism and authoritarianism, could prevent the EU from addressing Hungary’s most serious problems. Many in the European Parliament—including within the European People’s Party (EPP), the parliamentary group that includes Fidesz alongside Europe’s leading center-right parties, such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union; and among the more hard-line European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)—would acknowledge that Hungary has been sliding toward authoritarianism since Orban’s victory in 2010.

The Sargentini report goes beyond the resolution on Poland that the European Parliament adopted in November 2017 since it calls on the European Council to create and execute a formal procedure for dealing with Hungary’s rule of law infractions under Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union. Unlike in Poland’s case, where the governing Law and Justice party is a part of the ECR group, Fidesz’s EPP membership places center-right members of the European Parliament in a tight spot. Simultaneously, the report also offers them an easy way out by mixing hard facts about Hungary’s ailing democracy with a liberal social agenda.

Effective pushback against authoritarianism, which is a problem in both Hungary and Poland, requires a truce over partisan lines on the highly contentious issues of immigration, culture, and values. The EU ought to follow the principle of subsidiarity scrupulously to ensure that Brussels is not seen in the conservative societies of Eastern Europe as a left-wing ideological project that seeks to impose norms and policy practices that would never command popular support in those countries. If it does not, it will give credibility not just to demagogues such as Orban but also to those who see Moscow, not Brussels, as the true defender of Europe’s Christian heritage.

The Sargentini report offers an important lesson for the United States, too. What makes Donald Trump’s presidency potentially dangerous is not that the president has nominated conservative judges on the Supreme Court and clamped down on immigration, legal and illegal. Rather it is the president’s authoritarian instincts: his desire for loyalty from civil servants, his disregard for the norms surrounding his office, his disdain for free press, and his admiration for brutal dictators around the world.

Hungary and Poland are not becoming the Netherlands or Denmark anytime soon—and if they do, it will not be thanks to resolutions in the European Parliament. Unless observers accept that fact and focuses its energy on the more existential of the two fights going on in Western societies, it will become complicit in the rise and entrenchment of authoritarian populism on both sides of the Atlantic.</s>BRUSSELS (AP) — Hungary's prime minister strongly rejected criticism of his government's policies on Tuesday, as European Union lawmakers debated whether to sanction Budapest for allegedly undermining the bloc's values.

The European Parliament was debating whether Hungary should face action over its policies on migration, the media, corruption and civil society that opponents say are against the EU's democratic values and the rule of law.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as expected, claimed during the debate in Strasbourg, France, that Hungary was being attacked for its tough anti-immigration stance.

"This report does not give respect to the Hungarian nation," Orban told the lawmakers. "You think you know better than the Hungarian people what the Hungarian people need."

Orban said that political sanctions being considered against Hungary would be the first time in the EU that "a community condemns its own border guards."

"I reject that the European Parliament's forces supporting immigration and migrants threaten, blackmail and with untrue accusations defame Hungary and the Hungarian people," he said during a feisty speech.

"Whatever decision you make, Hungary will not give in to extortion, Hungary will defend its borders, will stop illegal migration and will protect its rights, if needed, from you, too."

Lawmakers will vote Wednesday on a proposal to launch the rule-of-law procedure, based on a report by the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, that could lead to Hungary losing its EU voting rights under a process known as Article 7.

The European Commission, the bloc's executive body, launched Article 7 proceedings against Poland over an alleged erosion of judicial independence late last year. But Hungary's case is the first time that the EU parliament is considering calling for the launch of the sanctions process for a member state because of a perceived threat to European values.

For years, Orban has successfully deflected much of the international condemnation about Hungary's electoral system, media freedoms, independence of the judiciary, mistreatment of asylum-seekers and refugees and limitations on the functioning of non-governmental organizations, but criticism has been growing even within the European People's Party, to which his Fidesz party belongs.

EPP leader Manfred Weber, nominally an Orban political ally in the assembly, conceded that "the start of a dialogue based on Article 7 could be needed."

Weber said the EPP would decide later Tuesday whether to support the Article 7 action. Should the EPP move against him, Fidesz would be under huge pressure to leave the group.

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans, who has been supervising Article 7 discussions with Poland, said he shared the findings in the parliamentary report.

"Democracy in our member states and in our European Union cannot exist without the rule of law," Timmermans said, and went on to list concerns about fundamental rights, corruption in Hungary and the treatment of migrants.

Timmermans said the European Commission has launched "audits and other investigations" into the alleged misuse in Hungary of EU funds.

"The commission will not hesitate to take further action if necessary. My promise to you is that we will be relentless," he told the lawmakers.

Socialist leader Udo Bullmann branded Orban "the head of the most corrupt government here inside the European Union," while liberal leader Guy Verhofstadt described the Hungarian leader as "the seed of discord that will ultimately destroy our European project."

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told ORF television on Monday that his Austrian People's Party — like Fidesz, a member of the EPP, the biggest and most powerful party group in the assembly — would vote in favor of opening Article 7 proceedings against Hungary.

"There are no compromises on the rule of law," Kurz said. "Fundamental values have to be protected."

Pablo Gorondi reported from Budapest, Hungary. Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>EU lawmakers move to punish Hungary over rule of law

BRUSSELS (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban suffered a rare political setback Wednesday as European Union lawmakers voted to pursue unprecedented action against his government for allegedly undermining the bloc's democratic values and rule of law. Hungary called the action fraudulent and vowed to challenge it.

Despite the official rebuke, Orban is showing no signs of compromise.

While he seeks to keep his ruling Fidesz party within the conservative European People's Party, or EPP, the largest and most powerful group in the European assembly, its possible ouster may push him closer to other far-right groups in Europe, like the nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) or France's National Rally led by Marine le Pen.

The lawmakers voted 448-197 in favor of a report recommending the launch of a so-called Article 7 procedure, which could lead to the suspension of Hungary's EU voting rights. Needing a two-thirds majority to pass, it was approved by 69.4 percent of the lawmakers.

For years, Orban had been able to deflect much of the international condemnation aimed at him. Critics say Hungary's electoral system favors the governing parties; media freedoms and judicial independence are dwindling; corruption and the enrichment of Orban allies with EU and state funds are on the rise; asylum-seekers and refugees are mistreated; and there are efforts to limit the activities of nongovernmental organizations.

While Orban occasionally made minor amendments to disputed laws and policies to appease the EU, the essence of his efforts to centralize power within his own ever-expanding office has not really changed since he returned to government in 2010 with a two-thirds majority. Hungary quickly adopted a new constitution following eight calamitous years of Socialist Party governments that led the country to the brink of bankruptcy.

"Orban will continue to represent the hard-line policies sliding toward an authoritarian regime, as until now," said Andras Biro-Nagy, co-director of Policy Solutions, a political research institute in Budapest. "Should he exit the EPP, he may believe that he has an even freer hand to bring increasingly restrictive policies which constrict the democratic environment."

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, echoing Orban's longtime position that allowed him to win a third consecutive term in April, called the vote "petty revenge" against Hungary for its tough anti-migrant policies.

"This decision condemning Hungary and the Hungarian people was made because we Hungarians have demonstrated that migration is not a necessary process and that migration can be stopped," Szijjarto said in Budapest.

On Orban's orders, fences were built in 2015 on Hungary's southern borders with Serbia and Croatia to divert the flow of migrants, and the country has adopted increasingly restrictive asylum rules.

Orban has framed the migration issue, which he predicts will be the main theme of European elections next year, as one that goes beyond party lines. He met with Italian Interior Minister Mateo Salvini last month in Milan. He referred to Salvini, the leader of the right-wing League party and a staunch opponent of migration, as his "hero."

If Orban and his Fidesz party are ousted from the EPP, he is likely to look to strengthen his links to the far-right in Europe. For now, Orban says he does not want to leave the EPP but simply reform it into a party opposing migration.

"Orban will invest even more energies than until now to build a 'Plan B' with the extreme-right leaders in Europe, from Salvini to Le Pen to Germany's AfD," said Biro-Nagy. "Orban's true friends are no longer in the EPP; his true friends are in the European extreme-right."

Hungary claimed its defeat in the European Parliament involved "massive fraud" since 48 abstentions weren't counted in the final tally, which made it easier to reach the needed majority. Szijjarto said Hungary was considering legal options to appeal the result.

However, according to Article 354 of the Lisbon Treaty, reforms adopted in 2007 after the EU expanded from 15 to 27 members, "for the purposes of Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union, the European Parliament shall act by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast." This would seemingly exclude abstentions from the tally.

Orban's critics and opponents were elated by the outcome. Judith Sargentini, who presented the report prepared by the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, called it "a historic result for Hungarian and for European citizens."

"Viktor Orban's government has been leading the charge against European values by silencing independent media, replacing critical judges, and putting academia on a leash," Sargentini said. "The Hungarian people deserve better. They deserve freedom of speech, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice and equality, all of which are enshrined in the European treaties."

Several NGOs targeted by the Orban government with restrictive rules — including a special tax on activities considered as promoting immigration and the criminalization of the aiding of asylum-seekers and refugees — also hailed the vote.

"We welcome the European Parliament's decision to defend the rule of law and confront the Hungarian government's attempts to shut down civil society and independent voices in the media and academia," said Heather Grabbe, director of the Open Society European Policy Institute. "MEPs across the political spectrum have taken a historic stand in defending the EU's democratic values and the rights of its citizens."

Grabbe's organization is part of the Open Society Foundations set up by Hungarian-American billionaire and philanthropist George Soros, an ideological opponent of Orban and blamed by the Hungarian leader for promoting mass immigration into Europe. Soros repeatedly has denied the allegations.

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee, which offers legal aid to asylum seekers and refugees and has been a frequent target of Orban's criticism, said the EU vote "has made it clear that illiberal democracy is against the core values of the European Union."

Even EPP leader Manfred Weber, who earlier was supportive of Orban and is seeking to become the European Commission president next year, said he had voted for triggering Article 7.

"I have always been in favor of building bridges and I want to continue to do so, but yesterday (Tuesday) I didn't see any readiness from the Hungarian PM to make a move towards his EU partners and address our concerns," Weber tweeted.

While Weber had urged him to show a willingness to compromise on some issues, Orban said his policies wouldn't change.

"I have nothing to compromise about since the questions they objected to were decided by the Hungarian people," Orban said Tuesday in Strasbourg, France, after the debate on Hungary. "There is nothing to talk about."
The European Parliament votes 448–197 to trigger article 7 against Hungary for flouting the rule of law in the country.