Brussels is ready to use the ‘nuclear option’ by stripping Hungary of its voting rights in the European Council if Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to oppose Ukraine’s EU membership, insiders have warned.
Diplomats are understood to have warned Budapest the idea of invoking Article 7 is now under serious consideration.
Article 7 is the mechanism whereby a member state is suspended from the EU’s decision-making process. Should the threat come to pass, it would surely mark a new low in relations between the bloc and Mr Orban, who has been Hungary’s leader since 2010.
With Ukraine under intense pressure in the face of a renewed Russian onslaught, and the US warning troops are running out of ammunition, the pressure is on to get them the help they need.
However, Mr Orban, seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest European ally, has consistently criticised Kyiv, voiced his opposition to its EU membership – and crucially, last month vetoed the approval of £43billion (€50billion) in cash.
One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Politico: “If Orban really blocks again an agreement [on the budget and the €50billion for Ukraine] at the February summit, using Article 7 to strip Hungary of its voting rights could become a real option.”
Mr Orban has suggested he would be willing to wave the plan through – provided the EU reverses its decision to freeze aid to Hungary over concerns about perceived rule-of-law violations.
However, another insider likewise said the “nuclear option” was becoming a viable option, adding: “We are again getting into this game of what does he want?
“Why should we worry about saving anyone’s face? We should be a bit more forceful.”
Commenting, Steven Van Hecke, a European politics professor at KU Leuven, said: “It’s clear that heads of state and government are fed up with Orban.
“It’s time for Orban to realise that the threat of Article 7 now exists.”
Taking such drastic measures would not be without risk, with Peter Kreko, director of the Budapest-based Political Capital Institute, warning they would “alienate Hungary even more from the European Union.”
Speaking last week, Hungarian MEP Balazs Hidveghi, a member of Mr Orban’s Fidesz party, said: “You’re digging the grave of the European Union this way. Wake up and turn back from this crazy path.”
Speaking at last week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen indicated an agreement on the cash would be forced through with or without Hungary.
She said: “My personal priority is to have an agreement by 27 countries.
“And if this is not possible, we are prepared for an agreement by 26.
“But I strongly support and prefer an agreement by 27.
