Skriftliga förklaringar - 8:e valperioden Richard ASHWORTH

The decision to advocate the launch of Article 7(1) proceedings against a Member State is not one we have taken lightly.
Our vote today is not an attack on Hungary nor an attack on its people.
Nor is our vote necessarily about the content of the report, flawed as it is.
Our decision concerns the question of European values, what they are and how we maintain and promote them.
Europe, and its neighbourhood, is a family of friendly nations which share the same values, such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
Like any family, we have disagreements and differences of opinion, yet these common values continue to bind us together.
Regrettably, it is clear that Mr. Orbán and the current Hungarian government have been distancing themselves from these values.
The launch of Article 7(1) proceedings would, in our view, provide an opportunity for a constructive and cooperative dialogue with the Hungarian Government, in order to prevent the undermining of the values which we all share.