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After his controversial statements about the head of the EPP, Manfred Weber (CSU), the Hungarian MEP Tamas Deutsch is no longer threatened with expulsion from the conservative group. However, after hours of debate at a parliamentary group meeting on Wednesday night, a large majority of MPs voted in favor of Germany’s sanction, as the group announced. Therefore, for the moment there should be no earthquake in the largest European party family, which also includes the CDU and the CSU. This emerges from the decision document.
Deutsch, a member of the ruling Hungarian right-wing party Fidesz, compared Weber to the Gestapo and the Hungarian secret service AVH for criticizing Poland and Hungary in the EU budget dispute. The two countries had blocked acceptance of the next budget and the Corona aid fund for weeks due to a dispute over linking the disbursement of EU funds to the rule of law.
Weber called Deutsch’s behavior during the meeting unacceptable, as parliamentary groups called it. “It’s enough”. However, he did not insist that Deutsch be expelled. Instead, he presented the template for the decision that had been made now. At the same time, he asked the PPE party to clarify the issue of suspension of Fidesz membership as soon as possible. The constant attacks by Fidesz, the party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, against the EPP and its core values hurt the party family.
The decision now establishes that the German will no longer have time to speak in the European Parliament. Also, you should no longer be a reporter on certain topics and receive no more posts on behalf of the group. The Luxembourg EPP MEP, Christophe Hansen, was disappointed: “For me, the decision does not go far enough.” He was sure that the necessary majority would have been there for an expulsion.
The relationship between EPP and Fidesz has been strained for a long time. Fidesz’s membership in the EPP has been suspended since March 2019, among other things due to alleged violations of the fundamental values of the EU and due to several attacks against the then head of the EU Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. However, Fidesz MEPs still belong to the group.
