“But beware of Hungarians bearing gifts. The proposed constitutional amendments do not fix problems that Europe has had with the new Hungarian constitutional order. The new amendments may remove some offending language from the constitution itself, but they won’t actually change the facts on the ground unless the provisions that will be removed from the constitution are also removed from the other laws, too. And, judging from the press conference, that is still in doubt. (...)
The European Parliament’s Civil Liberties (LIBE) Committee is scheduled to vote on 19 June on a tough, accurate and fair report written by Portuguese MEP Rui Tavares. It calls for a rigorous monitoring regime to ensure that Hungary complies with the basic values of the European Union. If the report passes, it goes to the floor of the European Parliament for a debate and vote in the July plenary session. If Fidesz can kill the report in committee, the monitoring regime dies.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is scheduled to vote on 25 June on a different report, also very critical and accurate. If it passes, a different monitoring regime would be established to ensure that Hungary remains a rights-protecting constitutional democracy. But here, too, the vote is expected to be very close. (...)