Denmark wants Europe to use its full legal arsenal against Hungary for violations of the bloc's fundamental rights, writes "Politico".
"We are still witnessing a violation of fundamental values," Danish Minister for European Affairs Marie Biere told reporters in Aarhus, where the European Commission is visiting as Copenhagen takes over the rotating presidency of the EU Council. "That is why we will continue the Article 7 procedure and the hearing on Hungary."
Article 7 is a clause in the EU treaty that allows countries to vote to expel or sanction a member that violates the bloc's rules. This is considered a last resort legal measure that the EU has not used so far, despite Brussels' claims that Hungary has broken its laws.
Biere said the bloc should also consider restricting access to EU funds for countries that violate European law.
Another important issue for Denmark: EU enlargement. The minister sharply criticized Hungary's ongoing blockade of Ukraine's membership of the European Union, saying Denmark was "ready to consider all political and practical solutions to move forward".
If EU countries decide to escalate their current Article 7 procedure, they could strip Hungary of its voting rights on aspects of European policy such as enlargement, removing Budapest's ability to veto Ukraine's membership. But diplomats warn that for that to happen, at least full support from Paris and Berlin is needed to unite the rest of the bloc - support that has been lacking so far.
With Hungary still firmly opposed to Ukraine's membership, there is speculation that the European Commission could decide to proceed with Moldova's membership bid by formally opening a negotiating "cluster" in the coming days. Moldova and Ukraine are moving in a package for EU membership, so separating them would have been contentious.
But Biere said Denmark was not ready to split the two membership bids: "It is still our goal to open cluster number one together with Moldova and Ukraine," she said.