Dhe Hungarian Parliament wants to further delay the possible ratification of NATO’s northern expansion. As announced on Thursday, the topic is to be taken off the agenda for the coming week and only dealt with two weeks later. The corresponding law was introduced in Parliament on Wednesday. It became clear that not only the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, but also the leaders of the coalition parties Fidesz and KDNP are in principle in favor of Finland and Sweden joining the alliance. But because these two countries have criticized democracy and the rule of law in Hungary in the past, politicians from the governing parties feel “offended”.
Therefore, a parliamentary evaluation commission is to travel to Stockholm and Helsinki. What exactly she is supposed to determine or achieve there is unclear, and her recommendations are not legally binding. But the vote in Parliament should wait until her return.
In the parliamentary debate on Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Zsolt Németh (Fidesz) said Hungary supported NATO enlargement, which would make the alliance stronger. But bilateral relations are an independent matter. The ratification is an “excellent opportunity” for Hungary to clarify “misunderstandings, accusations and lies” with its partners. The opposition factions – apart from the right-wing party Mi Hazank – unreservedly supported the ratification.
Orbán has rhetorically supported NATO expansion, but ratification has been delayed since the fall. Just this week, his coalition demonstrated again that a quick decision is not a problem in terms of legislation, if Orbán wants to: Within two days, a surprising health policy amendment was pushed through parliament.