Five essential steps for EU reform post-Orban

For sixteen years we have witnessed Viktor Orbán dismantling the Hungarian democracy and holding the EU hostage to build up his corrupt system, funded by European taxpayers’ money. The EU needs to learn from this period and change. Following the Hungarian election and the end of Orban’s autocratic reign, we have to take action now to protect our democracy, so that no regime is able to undermine our fundamental rights and the rule of law again. The EU needs to seize the opportunity and ensure that we will never see another Member State steal EU funds, block EU decisions and take away people’s rights. That’s why now, we need:  

1. End blackmailing: Real EU treaty change that will end the national veto in the Council and stop the EU being held hostage by the whims of autocrats;

2. Arm democracy: Reform the procedure in which Member States judge and sanction their peers for breaching the EU values by dismantling procedural barriers and making majorities easier to reach;

3. No democracy, no money: Maintain and reinforce democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights conditionality and safeguards covering all EU funds in the next EU long-term budget and beyond as part of the Treaties. The Commission must ensure that no national government can spend EU money while breaching basic European values;

4. Break the law, face the court: Make the Commission quicker and more proactive in bringing Member States to the Court of Justice when they breach EU values;

5. Charter must bind – Commission must act: Reform the Charter of Fundamental Rights to ensure that in the EU, nobody can have their rights taken away again, and that the Commission checks and enforces this in all areas by applying a toolbox of sanctions in case there are breaches and in case of the non-implementation of judgements.