unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Nicolas Bay
Political group: ID
Country: France
Language: FR

Un tel gouvernement, il existe, mais pas en Hongrie. C’est celui de la France d’Emmanuel Macron. Et il n’y a personne ici pour s’en émouvoir. Alors, certains, dans les institutions européennes, enragent et trépignent quand ils voient Viktor Orban disposer de la plus forte légitimité électorale lors des dernières élections européennes. Ils enragent et ils trépignent parce qu’un pays ne plie pas face aux injonctions de la gauche morale. Ils enragent et ils trépignent, alors ils nous imposent, une fois de plus, un énième débat en pleine crise sanitaire, un énième débat sur la Hongrie, qui sera tout aussi stérile, tout aussi inutile, tout aussi inopérant que les précédents. L’État de danger prévu par la Constitution est mis en œuvre, sous une forme analogue d’ailleurs, dans les autres pays européens, il a été approuvé par le parlement hongrois, aucun abus n’a été constaté. Les raisons réelles de cet acharnement, nous le savons, c’est le refus de la Hongrie de la folle politique migratoire de l’Union européenne. Cet état de droit, il est aujourd’hui instrumentalisé, il est utilisé pour imposer le gouvernement des juges contre la volonté des peuples.
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Rainer Wieland
Country: Germany
Language: DE

Wir setzen nun unsere Aussprache über die Erklärungen des Rates und der Kommission zu Notstandsgesetzen in Ungarn und ihren Auswirkungen auf Rechtsstaatlichkeit und Grundrechte (
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Today, in Hungary, the government has extensive powers with no clear definition and for an indefinite time. Let us not be mistaken. This has no necessity efficiency-wise. This has no sanitary basis. And this is turning its back on democracy. We all know what has happened in Hungary for 10 years. Even more this last year and even more these last weeks. We are fully documented. Files are piling up on your desk, on my desk, as a rapporteur, on the desks of many people in this Parliament, of civil servants, in each of our institutions, in permanent representations. They are all aware; time of awareness has gone. We have our eyes wide open. We know about the attacks against freedom of the media. We know about the continuous judicial reform. We know about the discriminatory measures. We know that today in Hungary you can have five years of imprisonment because the government considers you have spread fake news. We all know that yesterday one man was taken into custody for an opinion he posted on Facebook. Freedom of thinking is under threat now in Hungary. We know that it is easier to live in Hungary if you are male, if you’re white and if you don’t question the government. Why, then, do your legal services in the Commission feel, guess, that there is no legal ground for infringement? Why then do Member States make a very clear statement without spelling out loudly the name we are talking about. There are gradual, very clear rules that can help us for a resolution under Article 7. These tools exist. Why are we not using them enough? We want Hungarian citizens to stay European citizens, but we do not want them to be second-rate citizens with not exactly the same rights as the other European citizens.
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Nicola Procaccini
Political group: ECR
Country: Poland
Language: IT

In Ungheria un parlamento democraticamente eletto ha attribuito, con una votazione nel parlamento, poteri straordinari al suo governo per fronteggiare l'emergenza sanitaria. Ora io vi chiedo, colleghi, in quale delle due nazioni si sta violando lo Stato di diritto? La verità la conoscete meglio di me: volete sottomettere due popoli, l'Ungheria e la Polonia, perché dovete, dopo aver provato a sopprimerli con l'oppressione....
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Malin Björk
Political group: GUE/NGL
Country: Czechia
Language: EN

So, some say it’s not our business, let them dismantle democracy in Hungary if that’s what they want to do. Well, no, because we stand in solidarity, as was said here before, with all those Hungarians that fight for democracy, for rights every day. They are not alone. And secondly, we make laws together here. And the authoritarian regime in Hungary will make laws that all of us will have to respect. And that’s not acceptable. So standing up for law and democracy and fundamental rights in Hungary is standing up for rule of law and democracy for all of us. Luckily in this House, there are many of us that will not let Hungary dismantle democracy. And it’s all about our business. So the question is then, what is the Commission doing? What is the Council doing? When will the EPP expel and actually break up with Fidesz? It’s a shame on you to have them there. The Commission, the infringement procedures, we are waiting for them and the Council, you are so weak in your statement, it is not enough. We need you to come up with a conditionality clause in the new MFF, you have to be extremely strict on that. And no recovery funds to Member States that don’t respect the rule of law and democracy. It is time for the Commission and the Council to get into the game. This House will stand up for democracy and human rights.
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Márton Gyöngyösi
Political group: NI
Country: Poland
Language: EN

Mr President, Orbán did not avail of the opportunity to speak up in this House, but I am equally disappointed that Judit Varga, Minister for Justice, was not given a chance to explain a law that is truly exceptional and a law one of a kind. No other law has been adopted without a time limit and by restricting freedom of expression. The fears of the Hungarian opposition and of international critics were justified, as in the past two months Viktor Orbán has abused his powers in Hungary. By decree, private businesses have been placed under state control, while Orbán’s family and circle of friends received billions of state funding. Opposition-led municipalities were deprived of their revenues, namely local business tax. Opposition political parties, including opposition parties, have been stripped of their state finances and funding, and citizens have been recently arrested for expressing their opinion. Orbán is not only a coward for not having come here to defend his law, but he is also an opportunist. He tramples on European values and builds his autocratic regime from European funds and from EU money, and will continue to do so while German business and other Western investors find themselves comfortable in Hungary and get preferential business treatment in Hungary, and thereby I mean low wages, a flexible labour law, state benefits and low taxes. Values versus profits, this is the dilemma. I think it is time for the European institutions to get their priorities right.
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Christophe Hansen
Political group: PPE
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Mr President, I’ve only been a Member of this House for less than two years, but I have to say, ladies and gentlemen, that I have lost track on the countless times we discussed the democratic backslide in Hungary and in Poland. Our respective positions, including mine, are therefore well known. So, I will spare you my usual alarm about the power grab the Orbán government is operating in Hungary. Today, I would rather wish to address the Commission and the Council. Where were you when democracy in Hungary was put on lockdown? Why is the Commission, Guardian of the Treaties, so reluctant to act on defence of European values? I have to say that I expect more than blunt and critical statements by Commissioner Jourová.  And why is the Council so much afraid of its own shadow to act on Member States that are persistently corrupting treaties and our EU values? Those are the real questions that need to be addressed today. It is time for action. We have enough of those words.
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Birgit Sippel
Political group: S-D
Country: Croatia
Language: EN

Mr President, COVID-19 in Hungary: introducing special economic zones to take over companies of strategic importance and transfer local taxes to Fidesz controlled county councils; changing legislation so that further big parts of revenues of municipal governments are taken over by the central government; rejecting the Istanbul Convention and respect for trans people; amending the Criminal Code to punish so-called ‘misrepresented facts’ with up to five years. I could easily go on and would only refer to developments over the last two months. Everything to combat the virus looks more like combating opposition parties, municipalities, journalists, civil society. And how can the EPP, calling itself the ‘people’s party’, still continue with flimsy debates about a potential expulsion of Fidesz, leading to nothing? And how can you, Commissioner Jourová, say we still see no reason for infringement procedures?  Looking back over the past 10 years, what still needs to happen? And the Council and the Member States, we all know the Article 7 procedure is completely deadlocked. Will you now finally protect democracy and fundamental rights also for Hungarian citizens, and are you ready to suspend EU payments to Orbán? It’s high time to act.
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Maite Pagazaurtundúa
Political group: Renew
Country: Germany
Language: ES

Señor presidente; escuchen: este Parlamento Europeo defiende el núcleo de las libertades de cada ciudadano y de cada ciudadana de toda la Unión, incluyendo Hungría, lógicamente. Los poderes extraordinarios de un Gobierno deben ir acompañados también de un escrutinio extraordinario de lo que hace, de una libertad de expresión extraordinaria y de una capacidad de crítica política efectiva y de reglas de juego que lo permitan. Representamos a 450 millones de ciudadanos. No nos sentimos vasallos de ningún Gobierno; nos sentimos libres e iguales. Y debe escucharlo el presidente Orbán y deben escucharlo todos los presidentes. Bajo el estado de alarma, bajo la pandemia no se suspende la democracia. Y, desde luego, no habrá ningún resquicio de arbitrariedad de los poderes públicos que la Comisión de Libertades Civiles de este Parlamento no mire, no critique y no enumere, y sobre el que no actuemos en este Parlamento. He de decirles que no puede haber impunidad y que escuchen: no vamos a parar en este Parlamento.
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Annalisa Tardino
Political group: ID
Country: Italy
Language: IT

Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, questo Parlamento purtroppo non perde occasione per dimostrare di essere alla mercé delle sinistre. Siamo ancora nel pieno dell'emergenza mondiale più grave dal secondo dopoguerra: dovremmo concentrare gli sforzi su come superare la crisi e trovare gli strumenti utili ad aiutare i nostri cittadini. Invece il Parlamento europeo ritiene prioritario tenere un dibattito su come il governo ungherese avrebbe violato lo Stato di diritto, attaccandolo ancora una volta solo perché non va a genio alle sinistre. Si tratta del solito atteggiamento di "due pesi e due misure" che, invece, non vede muovere critiche al governo Conte, che in Italia non solo ha agito dimostrando tutta la sua incompetenza ma ha, di fatto, abolito per mezzo di decreti la democrazia, quella stessa democrazia che invece Orbán ha rispettato, ottenendo il voto del Parlamento eletto. Ebbene, mentre migliaia di europei sono confinati a casa, altri muoiono, altri ancora aspettano di tornare al lavoro, assistiamo a meri attacchi ideologici che non fanno altro che svilire questa Istituzione. Noi ci dissociamo in pieno, guardiamo negli occhi i nostri cittadini e vi vediamo lo sdegno...
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Terry Reintke
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Italy
Language: EN

Mr President, despite arresting people for sharing the numbers of free hospital beds on Facebook, the Hungarian Government is still saying that the debate on the rule of law in Hungary is just an evil conspiracy by the European Union against Hungary. Look, you have attacked journalists, you have attacked independent NGOs, you have attacked the freedom of academia, you have led smear campaigns against minorities, against the European Union, against Jean-Claude Juncker himself, and now it’s the trans community. This is not about equal gender recognition. This is a message. It is a message to everybody who is different. Either you assimilate with what we think is right or we will make you do it.  But I can tell you — and this goes to the Hungarian Government — you will not win with this. This continent thrives with freedom and diversity and we will fight for that. You will not break this community. Trans people will not cease to exist just because you want them to, and we in this Parliament and in the European Union will stand with this community and defend their rights.
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Elżbieta Rafalska
Political group: ECR
Country: Germany
Language: PL

Panie Przewodniczący! Węgry podobnie jak mój kraj, Polska stały się ofiarą nadzwyczajnych ataków politycznych w Parlamencie Europejskim. Każda okazja jest dobra, by atakować Węgry i Polskę. Nie zmienia tego nawet pandemia.  Większość krajów podejmuje wyjątkowe i konieczne środki w walce z COVID-19, ale szczególnym nadzorem obejmuje się jednak Węgry, zarzucając im, że rozwiązania prawne przyjęte w ramach zwalczania pandemii, w tym również przeciwdziałanie gospodarczym skutkom kryzysu, to atakowanie i osłabianie demokracji. A przecież przyjmowane ustawy są zgodne z konstytucją, działa Trybunał Konstytucyjny, działa parlament, który zadecyduje o terminie zniesienia stanu zagrożenia. Funkcjonują krajowe mechanizmy kontroli i równowagi, a rząd ma silny mandat wyborczy, który jest przedmiotem zazdrości wielu państw członkowskich.  Proszę powiedzieć, dlaczego podczas tej debaty nie może być przedstawione stanowisko rządu węgierskiego. Wiemy, że z takim wnioskiem występował węgierski minister sprawiedliwości.
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Clare Daly
Political group: GUE/NGL
Country: France
Language: EN

Mr President, there’s no doubt about it. Democracy has been attacked in Poland. Democracy has been attacked in France. There is vicious racism, similar to Hungary, in other states, but Hungary has taken it a step further. There has been a blatant and clear-cut authoritarian takeover, and it’s not an accident. It’s the product of a 10-year assault on judicial independence, on media freedom, on civil society and the right to organise. A 10-year assault in which the Council and the Commission did nothing.  We’ve had more of the same here today. There needs to be an immediate getting behind Article 7 infringements proceedings. There needs to be an immediate mechanism to cease funding those who would trample on democracy. There needs to be a political ostracisation of those who undertake the types of actions that everybody knows are being engaged in in Hungary today.  Because if we don’t do that, then all of the other States who have the same tendencies will go the same way. And we are betraying the citizens of Hungary and all of those across the Union.
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Clara Ponsatí Obiols
Political group: NI
Country: Slovakia
Language: EN

Mr President, Mr Orbán’s violations of human rights and freedoms are not a new thing. The EU has looked the other way for too long. What we see in Hungary is alarming, yes, and action is urgent, but please do look beyond Hungary. In Spain, Mr Sánchez’ government is also using COVID—19 to enact new authoritarian policies. The police are instructed to search for negative messages that may also be punished with five years of prison, exactly like in Hungary. They are wiretapping without judicial controls and Mr Sánchez is still ignoring the advice of the United Nations and Amnesty International and political prisoners have not been released in spite of instructions by these bodies. Double standards must end in the EU. Both Hungary and Spain need to be accountable for their violations of Article 2.
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Loránt Vincze
Political group: PPE
Country: Greece
Language: HU

Tisztelt Elnök úr! Szögezzük le, hogy a magyarországi jogállamiságról rendezett mai vitát egyetlenegy új fejlemény sem indokolja. Azok a hamis hírek, amelyek a magyar helyzettel kapcsolatban Európát elárasztották, sorra cáfolatra leltek. Például hogy a magyar parlament nem ülésezik, pedig ülésezik, törvényeket fogad el. Tudjuk, hogy a 2010-es megválasztása óta az európai baloldal folyamatosan támadja Orbán Viktort. A magyar polgárok azóta hét országos választáson szavaztak bizalmat neki és a Fidesznek. Egyértelmű tehát, hogy brüsszeli boszorkányüldözéssel nem lehet választásokat nyerni. A hamisnak bizonyuló támadásoknak helyet adó vitákkal az Európai Parlament viszont a saját hitelét veszíti el a polgárok előtt. Vagy rendezzünk egyórás vitát a jogállamiságról minden tagállam esetében. Kezdhetnénk mindjárt Romániával, ahol Johannis elnök múlt héten gyakorlatilag azt állította, hogy a kisebbségi jogok bővítése nemzetárulás. Szavai a román alkotmány szellemét és a jogállamiságot is sértik. Ebben a kérdésben miért nem szólalnak meg az aggódó hangok?
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Sylwia Spurek
Political group: S-D
Country: Netherlands
Language: EN

Mr President, today, we need to deal with the situation in Hungary again. Why?  While the pandemic overwhelms Europe, on the one hand, we can see people losing their jobs, getting sick and dying, while at the same time, in the centre of Europe, there are governments that take this opportunity to violate democracy and fundamental human rights. When Viktor Orbán’s ruling party restricts the rights of LGBTI people or blocks the ratification of the Convention on Violence Against Women, we cannot turn a blind eye. Refusing cries for dignity, a private life, to live free from discrimination and violence is refusing fundamental human rights and another backward step in democracy in Hungary.  This also sets a dangerous precedent for the future of the whole European Union. Equality among people and uniform guarantees of rights are among our key values. We can no longer tolerate the breaches of fundamental human rights, especially in our own backyard.  The European Union can no longer avoid the responsibility. We cannot say that these are not  the EU’s competences. The Commission’s measures are insufficient. It’s not enough to analyse, monitor, appeal. Human rights are the competences of the European Union. The Commission must act here and now.
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Sophia in 't Veld
Political group: Renew
Country: Poland
Language: EN

Mr President, it’s a pity that Mr Orbán didn’t have the guts to appear here for our debate. He of course realises that it’s easier to silence his Hungarian critics than Members of the European Parliament because, let’s face it, under the rules of Mr Orbán and his cronies, democracy has been killed in Hungary. It’s dead. But the Council keeps shamefully protecting him and talking about values and democracy, but they refuse to even put it on the agenda. I would also wish to be critical of my own government for once and wish that the Dutch Prime Minister and Minister of Finance would be as critical of the destruction of the rule of law in the European Union as they are of violating budget discipline. And I wonder why the EPP continues to protect Mr Orbán. There are many good people in the EPP, true Democrats and defenders of the rule of law, but, as long as Fidesz is a member of the EPP, the EPP is complicit in the destruction of democracy and the rule of law. Kick him out. Kick him out. Don’t wait any longer.  Finally, killing democracy should not be funded with European taxpayers’ money. So not a penny more to Mr Orbán to line the pockets of his oligarchs.
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Gunnar Beck
Political group: ID
Country: Germany
Language: DE

Wahr ist: Das ungarische Parlament hat den Notstand gebilligt und kann ihn jederzeit beenden. Hier hingegen sind viele Abgeordnete in Corona-Ferien, und von daheim per E-Mail werden schuldenfinanzierte Billionen-Hilfen beschlossen – auf fehlerhafter Rechtsgrundlage und wider das Eigenmittelgebot von Artikel 311. Das Deutsche Verfassungsgericht rügt die EU-Gefälligkeitsjustiz, indes die deutsche Regierung Verunglimpfung der EU und ihrer Symbolik mit drei Jahren Gefängnis bestrafen will. Der französische Moralist La Rochefoucauld nannte Heuchelei den Tribut, den das Laster der Tugend zollt. Das Rechtsstaats- und Heuchelei-Problem aber hat nicht Ungarn, sondern die EU.
Debate: Emergency Legislation in Hungary and its impact on the Rule of Law and fundamental rights
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Beata Kempa
Political group: ECR
Country: Czechia
Language: PL

Panie Przewodniczący! Zdrowie, praca i bezpieczeństwo: te trzy obszary w życiu każdego obywatela są najważniejsze. Reszty może nie być. Szczególnie w dobie zagrożenia tak potężnego, jakim jest pandemia koronawirusa.  Historia nas oceni. O czym dzisiaj dyskutuje Parlament Europejski? Czym my się zajmujemy? Tym, że są kraje, które chcą walczyć i zabić nie demokrację, pani in't Veld, tylko koronawirusa. Każdy kraj ma prawo podjąć decyzję, jak chronić własnych obywateli. Miały do tego prawo Węgry, Polska, Hiszpania, Włochy. Każdy na swój sposób, bo każdy zna swoje społeczeństwo, swoje mechanizmy, a także swoją konstytucję. Węgrzy postąpili zgodnie ze swoją konstytucją, zgodnie z demokracją i nam nie wolno się mieszać do tego, że chcą chronić swoich obywateli przed śmiercią.  Historia nas oceni i warto, żebyśmy zajęli się tu i teraz walką z kryzysem gospodarczym, który będzie po pandemii, a nie...