Members of Germany’s Committee on European Union Affairs Thursday introduced a motion to the Bundestag to request an assessment of Hungary’s rule of law reforms. Representatives from the Social Democratic Party, the Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) hope that the European Commission will ensure that Hungary’s newly proposed reforms efficiently remedy rule of law shortcomings. Otherwise, the motion proposes that the German government should vote to withhold £7.5 billion in aid to Hungary. MP Moritz Körner called the decision “very strong” and said money should only flow to Hungary if the EU has evidence of effective reform.

The 2021 Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation is a mechanism which suspends payments to EU member states who breach rule of law principles. The EU utilised this measure against Hungary on September 18, withholding £5.8 billion in grants for its post-pandemic recovery fund. Hungarian authorities responded by proposing “a range of remedial measures to address the concerns identified by the commission.” According to a report released in October, human rights activists find these reforms insufficient.

The Bundestag will debate and vote on the motion this evening. A qualified majority is required for the adoption of this question in the Council of the European Union.