EU Parliament to Vote on Resolution Sanctioning Hungary on September 12 - Source

The European Parliament will vote on September 12 on a resolution urging the European Commission to impose sanctions on Hungary over the country's non-compliance with democratic principles and EU policies, an EU source told Sputnik.

The resolution may lead to the commission launching a procedure by that could result in Hungary being deprived of its voting rights in the Council of the European Union under Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union.

"The voting on the resolution is scheduled for September 12," the source said.

Hungary has long been critical of the European Union's open-door policy, initially introduced at the onset of the continent's migration crisis, and opposed the mandatory migrant relocation quotas. Budapest’s stance prompted the European Commission to launch its first infringement procedure against Hungary over its asylum legislation in December 2015. Hungary, in particular, set up border fences and enhanced border control with neighboring Serbia.

Over recent months, Hungary has come under harsh criticism after the introduction of its new Stop Soros law, which banned non-governmental organizations from providing aid to undocumented migrants. The controversial legislation takes aim at EU migration regulations and Hungarian-born US billionaire George Soros, who proposed a plan to address Europe’s refugee crisis, part of which involves member states keeping their borders open for documented migrants.

On July 19, the European Commission referred Budapest to the Court of Justice of the European Union over its Stop Soros law, which the commission argued did not comply with EU legislation.

In 2017, Hungary’s parliament adopted a law stating that all asylum seekers entering Hungary, as well as those already in the country, would be required to wait for the verdict on their asylum case in mandatory transit zones, so-called container camps on the border.