During their regular sitting on 12 April, the members of the EP Civil Liberties Committee discussed the draft report authored by the Dutch Green MEP Judith Sargentini on the situation of democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary. The rapporteur's suggestion to the committee calls on the Council to determine whether there is a clear risk of a serious breach by Hungary of the values on which the Union is founded.

The time for issuing warnings has passed, rapporteur Sargentini said, adding that the European Union now needs to stand up for rule of law and trigger Article 7 proceedings against Hungary. With no sign that the Hungarian government will change course, the Council must initiate proceedings now, she asserted.

Last May, in a resolution, lawmakers urged the Hungarian Government to repeal laws tightening rules against asylum-seekers and non-governmental organisations, and to reach an agreement with the US authorities, making it possible for Central European University to remain in Budapest as a free institution.

In Brussels, many critics triggered the intention of the Hungarian authorities to ask NGOs to disclose from what sources, primarily foreign, they receive financing for their activities, using the argument that this will make clear whose civil interests they are backing. Now, with a third in a row victory, the governing party Fidesz even considers to pose 25% tax on grants from abroad received by NGOs. Most probably, this measure will be introduced after public consultations, a manner often used by the government in Budapest.

As observers assume, the main 'hot potato' is the migration policy of Hungary. The draft of rapporteur Sargentini points on UN Human Rights Committee's concluding observations of 5 April 2018, in which the organisation expressed concerns that the “Hungarian law adopted in March 2017, which allows for the automatic removal to transit zones of all asylum applicants for the duration of their asylum procedure, with the exception of unaccompanied children identified as being below the age of 14, does not meet the legal standards as a result of the lengthy and indefinite period of confinement allowed, the absence of any legal requirement to promptly examine the specific conditions of each affected individual, and the lack of procedural safeguards to meaningfully challenge removal to the transit zones.” The Committee was particularly concerned about reports of the extensive use of automatic immigration detention in holding facilities inside Hungary, the draft text reads. Another concern of the same body is the push-back law.