EU’s ultimatum to Orban: support aid to Ukraine or lose voting rights

 Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Organ was warned that he would be stripped of the right to vote within the European Union should he refuse to support financial assistance to Ukraine, Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper reported.

According to the newspaper, it was essential for the EU to settle the matter unanimously to prevent a dangerous precedent of a potential split in the EU. In the end, Orban opted not to rebel. 

The newspaper noted that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who agrees with Orban on many issues, had played an important role in the negotiations. 

However, the final argument that got Orban to change his mind and ultimately give his consent to the transfer of funds to Ukraine after blocking it since December, was the warning that the EU would trigger Article 7 (para 2) of its Charter, stripping Hungary of the right to vote (and hence its veto right).