No sight of EU money and Hungary’s veto right could be abolished

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Photo: Daily News Hungary

MEPs have tabled a new EU proposal which, if adopted, could see Hungary lose its veto.

New proposal in the EU

MEPs put forward their proposals for EU reform as part of the conference on the future of Europe. The Parliament wants to see the EU become more effective and the voice of citizens in the Member States more powerful. The EP is the only EU body whose members are elected by citizens.

The main proposals are:

  • a bicameral system and new voting arrangements in the Council to avoid deadlocks, more decisions by qualified majority and ordinary legislative procedure;
  • the right of legislative initiative and co-legislative powers for the Parliament in the establishment of the long-term budget;a complete overhaul of the rules governing the membership of the Commission (renamed the “European Executive”), including the election of the Commission President (the right of nomination would be with the Parliament and the right of approval with the European Council, i.e. the other way round) and the possibility for the Commission President to select the members of the College of Commissioners on the basis of political preferences, while respecting geographical and demographic balance;
  • substantially greater transparency in the Council by publishing the position of each Member State on legislative issues; and
  • better expression of citizens’ will by establishing appropriate participation mechanisms and enhancing the role of European political parties.

Hungarian government is not pleased

Under the new proposal, the EU would take over areas such as public health, civil protection, industrial policy, education and the environment, which are currently typically dealt with at national level.

Fidesz MEPs voted against the proposal. László Trócsányi, Fidesz MEP, said that “under the new draft treaty, the EU would have a president just like the United States of America, it would have ministers, a European referendum and new procedures and new borders.”

Trócsányi believes this would be a big threat to small and medium-sized countries. Judit Varga argued that Hungary and the countries of central Europe should accept whatever the big states and the majority vote for.

The abolition of consensual decision-making would prevent Hungary from vetoing EU majority decisions on any issue, index.hu writes.

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