[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 34 (Monday, February 26, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S987-S988]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 565--CONDEMNING DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING IN HUNGARY

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

                              S. Res. 565

       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;

[[Page S988]]

       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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