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Austrian leader Sebastian Kurz said his party's MEPs would vote in favor of a sanctions procedure against Hungary in the European Parliament on Wednesday (September 12th).
"There is no compromise on the rule of law, the fundamental values must be protected," he said Monday during a television interview with the ORF TV channel.
"We have decided that Austrian MPs will vote in favor of an Article 7 procedure," he said.
He added that if the majority of the EPP center-right MEPs at the EU assembly voted in favor of sanctions, he would also support the expulsion of the Fidesz group from Orban. of the group.
"It would be a very normal thing," said Kurz.
Kurz's OVP party has only five MEPs, but the Chancellor's remarks carry extra weight given Austria's current role as the EU presidency.
They are also a surprise after Kurz and Orban have pledged to fight together against the EU's share of EU migration quotas early this year.
The EPP group is divided on the opportunity to house Orban in order to try to moderate his policy or put him in the cold – where he could align more with the forces of the other. ;far right.
However, the Austrian government is itself divided on Hungary, with the far-right FPO party in the ruling coalition that also addressed the Hungarian leader on Monday.
"I would like to invite Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his party Fidesz to future cooperation in a joint EU group," said Facebook, Heinz-Christian Strache, head of the FPO and Austrian Vice Chancellor.
The idea of imposing EU sanctions on Hungary was "absurd," Strache added.
MEPs will vote this week on a report from Dutch Green MEP Judith Sargentini, according to which the EU is expected to launch the same sanctions process as last year against Poland.
The report lists a dozen concerns, ranging from restrictions imposed by Hungary on freedom of expression to minority rights, which "represent a systemic threat to the values" of the EU and "constitute a clear risk of serious violation" law.
The decision requires that two-thirds of the members present in the House the same day vote yes.
It would then be up to the Member States to consider the matter further.
The process could end with the loss of Hungary's voting rights in the EU Council, but Poland should veto such a decision in exchange for Hungary's veto over its own sanctions case.
Orban recently courted Italian nationalist-populists while there was talk of creating a new right-wing axis to challenge the European Parliament elections next year.
French and Dutch supporters have also promised to participate.
The EU's election campaign is expected to be dominated by migration, but the Austrian Kurz said the worst of the crisis seems to be over.
"The Mediterranean road is closing," he said in a television interview, referring to migrants who have left North Africa for Italy, Malta or Italy. 39, Spain to apply for asylum in the EU.
He said that Austria wanted to work with Egypt, Libya and Tunisia to prevent people from coming to Europe, but he distanced himself from recent comments from the FPO that the armed forces
"It's not a state secret if I tell you now that we will not invade Africa," Kurz said.
