Ireland's Prime Minister Micheál Martin gave voice to what a lot of other leaders in the European Union are thinking when he said there was a need to reign in Hungary’s maverick leader, Viktor Orbán’s use of the veto in EU resolutions on Ukraine.
Mr Martin (pictured) suggested a stronger use of the Article Seven procedure in the EU Constitution that allows for the suspension of certain rights of a member State if that State is threatening the core values of the institution as a whole.
“Hungary was the only country to oppose the acceptance of aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia at the last two EU summits, and is also opposed to Ukraine's accession to the Union itself,” Mr Martin said.
"It's outrageous what's happening at the moment. In my view, it's essential that Ukraine becomes a member of the European Union for geopolitical reasons.”
Article Seven was introduced in the Treaty of Amsterdam in the 1990s as countries from the defunct Warsaw Pact queued up to join the EU. However, it has never been used because the procedure has never reached the stage when sanctions could be employed.
Mr Orbán, who is often seen as promoting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s views within Europe, claims Ukraine’s membership would bankrupt the EU.
Mr Martin also criticised the ban on Pride marches in Hungary.
"We are very concerned at attempts to undermine the LGBTI community in Hungary, essentially the banning of pride parades. These are very fundamental issues that the European Union has to engage with," he said.
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