(MENAFN) EU affairs ministers convened on Tuesday in Brussels to conduct a session addressing the current condition of democracy and the rule of law in Hungary, amid increasing pressure to possibly revoke Budapest’s voting privileges within the EU.

“We are deeply concerned,” stated Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs Jessica Rosencrantz at the entrance of the EU General Affairs Council meeting, highlighting the ongoing suppression of civil society in Hungary.

“We have had seven years, seven hearings, and this cannot just continue unless we see a completely new attitude from the Hungarian side,” she remarked to journalists, urging the European Commission to fully employ the EU’s rule of law mechanisms.

Denmark’s European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre supported the appeal for stronger actions.

“We are ready to use all tools necessary to deal with Hungary. We do not see progress; on the contrary, we see a decline when it comes to fundamental values and rights, and we have to defend that, because that is what the EU is built upon,” she asserted.

European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law, and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath affirmed the Commission’s “very serious concerns” about Hungary’s path.

“I visited Budapest back in March and heard very worrying testimonies from civil society and media organizations about the narrowing of the space in which they operate,” McGrath reported.

Regarding Hungary’s recovery and resilience facility, he added, “at this point in time, about €18 billion ($20 billion) is not available to Hungary because of their own rule of law breaches.”

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