20 May, 2017
However, the European Parliament's resolution, backed by 393 deputies to 221 against, sends a strong signal to Budapest that its actions are being closely monitored. In that case, decisions made by the council would still apply to Hungary.
The EPP has been divided over how to deal with Hungary, ruled by one of the group's member parties, Fidesz, which is led by prime minister Vitkor Orban.
Referred to as a "nuclear option", Article 7 can be activated when there is a risk of a serious breach by a member state of the fundamental values of the EU. Votes from MEPs of the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) tilted the balance. Of a total of 199 EPP votes, 107 voted against the instructions, of which 67 voted in support of the resolution and 40 abstained.
Sanctions would follow if the member states establish a breach - including the suspension of Hungary's voting rights in the Council of the EU.
Since taking office in 2010, Orban has eliminated checks on his power by taking control of much of Hungary's media, curbing the powers of the constitutional court and placing loyalists in top positions at public institutions.
Hungary must "reach an agreement with the USA authorities, making it possible for Central European University to remain in Budapest as a free institution", according to the resolution, which was passed by 393 votes to 221, with 64 abstentions, on 17 May.
The parliament's resolution calls on Hungary to repeal the measures on higher education, on strict asylum laws, and to withdraw the proposed NGO bill.
Hungary has come under increasing criticism from the European Union for the political direction taken by Prime Minister Viktor Orban - including the country's handling of migrants, and most recently, a higher education law that could result in the closure of a leading university in Budapest. The European Commission also said the same day it will move forward on an infringement procedure against Hungary concerning its asylum legislation.
The European Commission has so far ruled out that there is be a systematic threat to the rule of law in Hungary.
For the first time in the history of the European Union, the resolution approved a majority of the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) calls for triggering Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union which provides a mechanism to enforce EU values. The right-wing government in Poland, which is now under the EU's rule of law monitoring procedure over its own actions, would be expected to veto any action against Hungary.
