Socialist Ujhelyi calls for MEPs to address debate on Sargentini report

István Ujhelyi, an MEP of the opposition Socialist Party, called on László Kövér, the speaker of parliament, to allow Hungarian MEPs the opportunity to address an upcoming parliamentary debate on a resolution by the ruling parties condemning the Sargentini report that suggested the rule of law in Hungary was in peril.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said during a debate on the report by Dutch Green MEP Judith Sargentini in the European Parliament that the government would never resort to silencing its opponents, Ujhelyi told a press conference on Sunday. Yet, one of the crucial points in the Sargentini report is exactly how Orbán is silencing those who disagree with him, he added.

He said it was “revealing” that next Wednesday’s parliamentary debate on the resolution against the Sargentini report has not been classified as a European Union affair so MEPs are not allowed to address it, Ujhelyi said. Yet, there could be hardly anything more related to EU affairs than this, he added.

Orbán probably wants to avoid hearing Hungarian MEPs directly present the opinion that has evolved in the EP concerning Hungary, he said.

Ujhelyi said he expected the house committee to approve the Socialist proposal and classify the debate as an EU matter.

Source: MTI