Why did the EU strip Hungary of its voting rights in the union?
The EU Council could decide on May 27 to strip Hungary of its voting rights for systematically violating the union's values.
The EU could restrict Hungary's rights as a member state of the Commonwealth, RT reported on May 24. The issue will be on the agenda of the EU Council scheduled for May 27.
The eighth hearing on Hungary is expected to take place under Article 7 of the Treaty on the European Union, which allows for temporary restrictions on a member state’s rights if it breaches established norms. This is a systematic violation of EU values, including the rule of law. Sanctions could include the loss of voting rights.
However, there is no provision for a procedure to exclude a country from the European community.
“It is clear that Hungary would seriously undermine the values that underpin the union,” the EU Council document said.
Brussels had already mentioned its readiness to use this mechanism to suspend Hungary's rights in the EU in 2024. The European Commission on Justice announced this at the end of January 2025.
In April 2025, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna proposed revoking Budapest’s electoral rights. According to him, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, by blocking a number of EU decisions, is leading to division and threatening the security of the entire European community.
In addition, according to Politico, at least six countries support transferring sanctions policy to the level of national law, which would weaken Hungary's veto power in imposing restrictive measures against Russia.
The European news portal EURACTIV believes that Brussels' move towards Budapest could lead to a split in the EU. Euractiv recalls that in 2022, the European Union froze the allocation of around €22 billion from the cohesion fund to Hungary due to violations by Prime Minister Orban's government of several EU provisions, including migration policy and support for the LGBT community. In 2023, €10 billion was unfrozen in exchange for lifting the veto on aid to Ukraine, but much of this money remains inaccessible.
“The tension between Hungary and the EU, which led to the freezing of solidarity funds, sets a precedent, raising questions about whether withholding the money will lead to reform or deeper divisions,” Politico said.
Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly stressed that the political path pursued by Brussels has caused great losses for the country. In January 2025, Mr. Orban pointed out that Hungary had lost more than 18 billion euros due to sanctions against Russia alone.
On May 20, the European Union adopted its 17th package of sanctions against Moscow. The restrictions affect Russian businessmen, scientists, energy and defense companies, and a number of foreign companies. The EU also imposed restrictions on nearly 200 oil tankers from Russia. At the same time, media reports said Hungary had agreed to approve a new list of anti-Russian restrictions because they were weak.
In addition, the Hungarian Prime Minister publicly accused Kyiv of spying against Budapest. According to him, Ukrainian special services, with the support of the Hungarian opposition, have recently conducted numerous disinformation campaigns to persuade the country's people to support Kyiv's EU membership.
Along with that, Prime Minister Orban noted that Western European leaders have come up with the idea of financing the creation of a Ukrainian army with a force of 1 million people, which could become a problem for Europe itself.
“The army is always under the influence of the government, and Ukraine is a politically unstable country, no one can say when there will be a government, and we will send an army of 1 million people to an unknown Ukrainian government at our own expense. This can only lead to trouble; it can create a serious security risk for Europe,” Prime Minister Orban argued.
In addition, Hungary also accused the leaders of some European countries of wanting to continue the conflict in Ukraine, sabotaging efforts to resolve the problem by Moscow and Washington.
“Let us recall that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia of having an inappropriate attitude towards the peace process. They are doing everything possible to prolong the war. They are doing everything possible to disrupt cooperation between Europe and Russia,” Prime Minister Orban said.