On Tuesday, 25 November, the European Parliament adopted a new interim report updating the 2018 report, which found a clear risk of a serious and persistent breach of European values by Hungary. While this report updates the content of the 2018 and 2022 texts, it above all reflects the impatience of Members of the European Parliament with the inaction of the other institutions regarding the situation in Hungary, which continues to deteriorate. Parliament is now calling for the activation of the second paragraph of Article 7 of the Treaties, the sanctions mechanism.
Sophie Wilmès, shadow rapporteur: “We have shown a great deal of patience and goodwill. Every opportunity was given to the Hungarian government to rectify the situation, but it chose not to act. We have lost count of the hearings held in the Council on Hungary. We raised concerns through a series of resolutions, applied pressure through conditionality or the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) but now we must take the next step: formally acknowledge the serious and persistent violation of the Union’s values and trigger the sanctions foreseen, which may go as far as suspending voting rights. If we are calling for such a radical decision, it is because, while we hesitate, Hungarian citizens are suffering all the consequences of the systematic violations of their fundamental rights.”
To recall, in September 2018 the Parliament first requested that the Council activate paragraph 1 of Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). This article, sometimes referred to as the “nuclear option”, consists of two parts – one preventive, the other punitive – designed to address serious and persistent breaches of the principles on which the Union is founded. These values are set out in Article 2 and include, among others, freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
Since this initial request, the Council has limited itself to organising hearings within the General Affairs Council (GAC). This dialogue, while always desirable, has clearly led to no change in Hungary, where the situation continues to worsen. The recent mission of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), of which Sophie Wilmès is a member, found in April 2025 no progress in any of the twelve areas of concern that motivated the Parliament’s initial request (such as judicial independence, corruption, freedom of expression and association, academic freedom or equal treatment, including the rights of LGBTQI+ people).
This report is also notable for the inclusion of the proposed European Rule of Law Semester, officially championed by Sophie Wilmès for several months, and now becoming the official position of Parliament. This Rule of Law Semester will ensure that Article 7 is no longer an isolated tool but part of a coherent framework bringing together the full range of instruments available in the field of the rule of law. Presented on 15 October, the Rule of Law Semester is structured around a complete annual cycle composed of several key stages: from the publication of the Commission’s report to several “check-in moments” throughout the cycle, during which the implementation of recommendations would be rigorously assessed, potentially triggering specific instruments. In the process as envisaged, the European Parliament plays a key role.
Moreover, the amendment tabled by Sophie Wilmès aimed at combating the abusive use of artificial intelligence for political disinformation – especially during an election period – has also been adopted. What happened with the deepfakes targeting Péter Magyar, the main opponent of President Orbán eight months before the elections, is far from trivial. Sophie Wilmès reiterates that a free election is not limited to the right to vote: citizens also have the right to access correct and reliable information, a necessary condition for making a free and informed choice when entering the polling booth.