The EPP is starting an exclusion procedure against Fidesz

HUNGARY - In Brief 06 Mar 2019 by Istvan Racz

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The European People's Party's management has just announced that it is starting an exclusion procedure against Fidesz immediately, after 13 member parties from nine different countries initiated to exclude PM Orbán's party from the organisation. The EPP's rulebook says that such a procedure must be started, i.e. the so-called political convention of the party family is required to put the issue on its agenda if at least seven members from at least five countries propose the exclusion move.As we reported a number of times in the past, such a collision between Fidesz and mainstream European political forces has been in the making for quite a long while now, the disagreements between PM Orbán's party and his European party family becoming increasingly serious all the time. But until now, the conflict has never got this far: PM Orbán was always stretching his limits, but flexibly pulled back from the wall when it was badly needed, occasionally making promises which he later failed to act upon, whereas the EPP, itself threatened by a serious loss of positions at the upcoming European election due in late May, always decided to keep Fidesz in its ranks, hoping to keep its parliamentary mandates and for the ability to maintain some degree of control over the Hungarian government party.Besides, Fidesz main supporters within the EPP have always been German member parties. A number of analysts claim that this is because major German companies do a very good business with Hungary, and Mr. Orbán's government happens to be an important contributor to that success. Of course, Mr. Orbán is making a very good business with German companies and Germany's conservative parties, too: the ...