Exclusive: MEPs on track to end article 7 'nuclear option' against Hungary
MEPs are on course to end the long-standing measure, which was introduced over alleged violations of EU values under Viktor Orbán’s government. A mission to Hungary in October would assess the progress of Péter Magyar’s administration, with a final decision expected in early 2027.
The European Parliament is on track to end the long-running Article 7 procedure, the EU’s so-called “nuclear option" against Hungary, which was launched in 2018 over concerns about violations of EU values under then-prime minister Viktor Orbán.
With Péter Magyar now leading the Hungarian government, the country is revising several laws dating back to the Orbán era, prompting the Parliament to reconsider its position, according to several MEPs and officials who spoke to Euronews.
“Hungary has completed many reforms that bring the country into closer alignment with the EU," said a senior MEP from the European People’s Party (EPP), the Parliament’s largest political group. "I see it as reasonable that the procedure ends soon, and I hope it will,” he added.
The EPP is among the political forces prepared to push for the withdrawal of Article 7, in a bid to secure a political victory for Magyar’s Tisza party, which is a member of the party.
The Article 7 procedure is an exceptional measure that can ultimately strip a country of its voting rights if a serious breach of EU values is established. MEPs triggered it against Hungary in 2018, citing concerns over judicial independence, corruption, media freedom and fundamental rights, as well as the rights of minorities and migrants.
A fact-finding mission to Hungary is planned for late October, with meetings scheduled with institutions, stakeholders, authorities and NGOs to gain a comprehensive picture of the rule of law situation in the country.
MEPs taking part in the mission will then draft a report and are expected to recommend withdrawing the procedure if they conclude that EU values are no longer being violated. Some Parliament officials say this could happen as soon as December, while Dutch MEP Tineke Strik, who is leading the file, expects the report to be ready in early 2027.
“There is a whole checklist with criteria which we will assess: one of the elements is the withdrawal of the anti LGBTI+ law,” she told Euronews.
Strik referred to a controversial piece of legislation on minors' protection which restricts children’s access to books, films and other content promoting or depicting a deviation from biological sex, gender transition or homosexuality.
So far, the Hungarian government has not repealed the law, nor has it announced its willingness to do so.
The final decision to withdraw the procedure requires a two-thirds majority, meaning at least 480 of the Parliament’s 719 lawmakers must vote in favour of ending it.
Left-wing groups such as the Greens and The Left could oppose the withdrawal, while conservatives and far-right forces are expected to back it, having consistently viewed Article 7 as an unwarranted intrusion into national politics. The European Conservatives and Reformists, Patriots for Europe and Europe of Sovereign Nations together account for almost 200 MEPs.
With the EPP’s 184 lawmakers likely to back the move, the centrist Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and liberal Renew Europe groups will be crucial to the decision. Both acknowledge Hungary’s progress but stress the need for a thorough assessment that takes into account the full body of legislation.
Renew will discuss the issue at its first meeting of the new parliamentary season in Paris next week, MEP Sandro Gozi told Euronews.
“The end of the procedure should be based on real changes; otherwise we give the impression it is just a political decision,” he said.
The procedure has been triggered only twice in the EU’s history: by the Commission against Poland in 2017 and by the European Parliament against Hungary the following year. In neither case has it reached the sanctions stage, which requires unanimous support from EU member states to suspend a country’s voting rights.
The procedure against Poland was closed in 2024, after a coalition led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk replaced the far-right Law and Justice (PiS) government, bringing the country back in line with the Commission's requests on judicial independence.
