[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 565 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 565

             Condemning democratic backsliding in Hungary.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 26, 2024

  Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Cardin, and Mr. Durbin) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
             Condemning democratic backsliding in Hungary.

Whereas Hungary transitioned to a democracy in 1989 following decades of 
        ruthless repression by the Soviet Union, including the brutal 
        suppression of the Revolution of 1956 in which thousands of Hungarians 
        were killed;
Whereas Hungary formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on 
        March 12, 1999, signaling a commitment to transatlantic unity and 
        democratic resilience;
Whereas, as part of obligations to transatlantic security as a member of NATO, 
        Hungary has sent troops to Kosovo and Afghanistan, contributes to the 
        Baltic air policing mission, and leads Operation Althea, the European 
        Union Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR);
Whereas Viktor Orban first assumed the office of the Prime Minister of Hungary 
        in 1998 and, while in office, restricted the number of plenary sessions 
        held by the Parliament of Hungary, limiting oversight of the government;
Whereas the Government of Hungary has used migration, the COVID-19 crisis, and 
        the war against Ukraine by the Russian Federation to justify ongoing 
        ``states of emergency'' in Hungary that allow the Orban cabinet to rule 
        by decree, bypassing the parliament;
Whereas, following the tenure of Orban as Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 
        2010, Orban again assumed the office of the Prime Minister of Hungary 
        following the parliamentary elections success of the Fidesz party;
Whereas the Orban government passed a new constitution for Hungary in 2011, 
        which limited the power of independent institutions in Hungary, 
        including the Constitutional Court and the judicial system, reduced the 
        number of seats in the National Assemble of Hungary by almost half, 
        restricted civil liberties, and instituted a politicized media 
        regulation authority with power to shut down outlets critical of the 
        government;
Whereas, in 2019, Hungary became the first European Union member state to be 
        downgraded to ``partly free'' by Freedom House, an internationally 
        recognized non-profit organization, in 2022, the European Parliament 
        ruled that Hungary was no longer considered a full democracy, and in 
        2023, Transparency International, an internationally recognized non-
        profit organization, ranked Hungary as the most corrupt European Union 
        member state;
Whereas, in December 2023, Hungary instituted a law purportedly designed to 
        protect the sovereignty of Hungary, but which actually serves as a tool 
        to silence Hungarians who disagree with the current ruling party and has 
        led to infringement proceedings by the European Union;
Whereas the European Union took the unprecedented step of withholding more than 
        $30,000,000,000 in funds due to concerns about rule of law and 
        corruption in Hungary, and continues to withhold more than 
        $20,000,000,000 of such funds;
Whereas Hungary has sought to strengthen its relationship with the People's 
        Republic of China, including by participating in the 16+1 format and the 
        Belt and Road Initiative, the first European country to do so;
Whereas, following the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 
        2014, Prime Minister Orban and the Government of Hungary has resisted 
        and diluted European Union sanctions with respect to the Russian 
        Federation;
Whereas, in response to the further invasion of Ukraine by the Russian 
        Federation in 2022, Hungary announced support for Ukraine to become a 
        member of the European Union, strengthening European and transatlantic 
        unity at a critical juncture;
Whereas, since February 24, 2022, more than 800,000 refugees have fled Ukraine 
        through Hungary in response to the unprovoked and illegal war in Ukraine 
        initiated by Vladimir Putin, and more than 35,000 Ukrainians have sought 
        to stay in Hungary;
Whereas the Government of Hungary has worked with local partners, including non-
        governmental organizations, to provide essential services to Ukrainian 
        refugees;
Whereas Hungary has blocked the transfer of weapons from partners and allies to 
        Ukraine through the border that Hungary shares with Ukraine, moved to 
        delay financial assistance from the European Union to Ukraine, and 
        carved out exceptions on European Union sanctions against the Russian 
        Federation to continue to allow Russian oil and gas to flow to Hungary;
Whereas Prime Minister Orban has sought a closer relationship with Vladimir 
        Putin, including by meeting Putin in Beijing in 2023, the first leader 
        of a European Union member state to meet with Putin since April 2022 and 
        the only leader of a NATO member state to meet with Putin since the 
        Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 
        24, 2022;
Whereas, in response to the war in Ukraine, NATO is the strongest and most 
        unified it has ever been, as exemplified through the enlargement of NATO 
        to include Finland as the 31st member state;
Whereas, despite approving the accession of Finland to NATO on March 27, 2023, 
        Hungary has delayed joining all other NATO member states in approving 
        the accession of Sweden to NATO, failing to fulfill a commitment not to 
        be last to approve such accession and jeopardizing transatlantic 
        security at a key moment for peace and stability in Europe; and
Whereas, on February 26, 2024, the Hungarian Parliament voted in support of the 
        accession of Sweden to NATO: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the important role Hungary can play in 
        European and transatlantic security;
            (2) condemns the ongoing democratic backsliding in Hungary, 
        perpetuated by the closing of civil spaces and the 
        consolidation of power at the highest levels of government, 
        including the restrictions placed on the judicial system;
            (3) reaffirms the indispensable role a free and independent 
        media plays in supporting government transparency and 
        democratic accountability, and the efforts of the Government of 
        Hungary to curtail and undermine such activities;
            (4) urges Hungary to continue working at the bilateral, 
        multilateral, and regional levels on military cooperation, 
        energy independence, and democratic resilience with other 
        democratic actors;
            (5) expresses concern with the deepening relationship 
        between Hungary, the Russian Federation, and the People's 
        Republic of China;
            (6) welcomes the vote of Hungary on February 26, 2024, 
        ratifying the accession of Sweden to the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization (NATO); and
            (7) expresses regret that the Government of Hungary, as the 
        last member of NATO to schedule a vote on the NATO membership 
        of Sweden, unnecessarily prolonged the accession of Sweden to 
        NATO.
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