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Comment by nomel | Hacker News Reader

There a practical reason for this? like more alignment with lobbyists, for whatever financial reasons?

Hungary is governed by a Russia aligned autocrat. This generally does not align with the priorities of the rest of the EU.

Over the last two decades Hungary reversed course from a democracy joining the west to an authoritarian dictatorship in bed with the Russians.

Hence, everything their government does is the opposite of what a typical European Union member would approve of.

I wonder what it would take to expel them from the EU...

It's simply not possible. EU law has no provisions for kicking a malignant country out. It was simply not foreseen. They can only decide to leave themselves. Which orban will never do because his oligarchs make billions off EU subsidies.

If it were it would have happened already.

They cannot make them leave the EU, no. But Hungary can be:

- kicked out of the Schengen Treaty

- kicked out of the NATO

- fined under EU breach of contract proceedings

- withheld financial support as long as they do not pay these fines

- forced through customs policy, which is sole EU competence, to stop compensating lost EU support with Chinese money

Honestly, I'd be in full support of some above listed actions if the elections in April show the current will of the Hungarian people misaligned with shared EU values.

They do regularly withhold financial support for them, but it doesn't seem to be too effective, usually they just get it back in return for not crossing the EU on some other topic.

I do think we should make work of kicking them out somehow if Peter Magyar does not win the next elections indeed.

EU2: the no-Hungary club

It's not possible with the current rules. Ultimately if every EU country other than Turkey wants them out, what are they going to do?

Turkey isn't EU.

No, they could have been but Erdogan made that impossible, sadly.

Order is on the verge of breakdown I wouldn't be surprised if they just lose their voice/get kicked out.

Trump etc are tearing down international order. The ramifications of this will be decades long.

Orban is a Putin asset.

Orban is an evil politician, and Fidez is an evil party.

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