**German Government Wants Tougher EU Penalties for Rule-Breakers**
The new German government wants the European Union (EU) to punish countries that don’t follow its rules. This is likely aimed at Hungary, which has been criticized for not respecting human rights and press freedom.
According to a report by Politico on March 31, Germany‘s coalition government plans to freeze funds and suspend voting rights of EU member states that violate the union’s core principles, such as the rule of law. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been accused of many things, including attacks on press freedom and human rights.
The EU has already frozen €30 billion in funds for Hungary, but released €10 billion just before Ukraine joined the EU accession talks. Some European officials have called for Article 7 of the EU Treaty to be activated, which would suspend Hungary’s voting rights.
However, this plan might face opposition from other countries, including Slovakia, whose Prime Minister Robert Fico is close to Orban and has said he will block any attempts to restrict Hungary’s voting rights.
The new German government also plans to change the way the EU makes decisions on foreign and security policy issues. They want a “qualified majority” vote, which would allow them to make decisions without needing every country’s agreement.
Hungary recently threatened to veto EU sanctions against Russia but eventually backed down after getting exemptions for certain individuals. The new German government promises to be more decisive in supporting Ukraine and wants to increase defense spending by €500 billion.