What you might need to know

This video includes AI-generated content produced under human supervision. Script by Dr Emmanuelle Schön-Quinlivan.

The European Union isn’t only an economic union. It is and has always been a political union. It is often said that the EU is an economic giant and a political dwarf. Nonetheless, this political union aims for further integration. It is stated in the European treaty that each country in the club has signed up to. The Treaty says that there should be an ever closer union. This is precisely what the UK didn’t want and one of the reasons they left the Union.
As part of this political union, article 2 of the treaty includes the fundamental values the EU relies on. The article reads: ‘The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity; freedom; democracy; equality; the rule of law; and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail.’
Several EU countries have been taken to court for breaching an EU value, but two countries are particularly in the crossfire because of their sustained and overt breaches of EU values. Poland and Hungary have systematically undermined EU values of non-discrimination, pluralism, equality and rule of law for over 10 years. In Poland, a recent government passed new rules which make appointed judges dependent on the government for their promotion and pension. In Hungary, media that disagree with the government are made to shut down; universities and NGOs that receive foreign funding see their operations restricted. Hungary has treated asylum seekers very badly and discriminates against the LGBTQI community.
There is a mechanism in the treaty, article 7, which allows members of the EU to vote to suspend voting rights if a country severely breaches EU values. However, it is a long and complex procedure which ultimately can only pass if there is unanimity of the members against the country in question. In our case, Poland and Hungary have supported each other. Slovakia has also been sympathetic.
Finally in 2020, a mechanism was adopted which financially penalises countries that don’t comply with EU values. The money which the EU agreed to send to support recovering economies post-Covid would not be sent to countries in breach of EU values. This has been implemented for Hungary.
One thing to remember: there is no mechanism to exclude a country from the EU. Article 50 was introduced in the Lisbon Treaty to make it possible for a country to leave the EU. But there’s no mechanism to exclude a country. Even if there was, would it be a good thing?