EU lawmakers vote for rule of law action against Hungary

BRUSSELS – European Union lawmakers have voted for launching action against Hungary over allegations that Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government is breaching the bloc’s fundamental values.

The European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee voted Monday for a report that recommends triggering an “Article 7 procedure” amid concerns about judicial independence, media freedoms and the harsh treatment of migrants in Hungary. The full assembly must still endorse the move for it to happen.

The procedure could result in Hungary losing EU voting rights, although this is unlikely because Poland, which is also facing Article 7 action launched by the EU’s executive Commission, would probably veto it.

The Commission says it is also scrutinizing laws passed in Hungary last week allowing jail sentences for people convicted of aiding asylum seekers, and which ban homelessness.