 Now, I'm delighted to be able to welcome here this morning our very distinguished speaker, and that is Judith Sartentini, who needs no introduction, but I'm going to give her one anyway, very quickly. Judith has been a member of the European Parliament for the Green Party since 2009, and she's Vice-Chair both of the LIBE Committee and of the European Parliament's Special Committee on Terrorism, and in her very distinguished time as a member of the European Parliament, Ms Sartentini has been a rapporteur, I should say, on the anti-money laundering directive, as well as being shadow rapporteur on numerous other files, including asylum legislation and criminal law. Prior to being an MEP, Judith had various roles in communications and consultancy in the development and non-profit sector, and is a historian. She received her BA in Modern History and her MA in Arts from the University of Amsterdam. The topic that Judith is going to be talking about today is one that's a very, very topic at the moment, and that is the topic of defending the EU's values, and of course we're all aware of what's going on in Hungary, in Poland, and in other states in the Eastern part of the European Union at the moment, and the various processes that are beginning against them. Judith was the rapporteur of the European Parliament Report, which initiated Article 7 proceedings against Hungary, so we can expect her, I think, to focus on that to some extent, without in any way putting restrictions on what you want to say. I should just remind guests if I may to switch their phones to silent, if I could, but we do encourage you to tweet, and if you could tweet, if you do decide to tweet at some stage, if you just put in at IIBA, that would be wonderful. The initial address, what Judith has to say initially, will be on the record. The Q&A session afterwards is under the Chattom House Rule, which of course means that participants are free to use the information received, but not to reveal the identity or the affiliation of the speaker, or that of any other participant. So that's enough from me. I'll hand over to Judith. Thank you very much for inviting me. Indeed I wanted to talk about our shared values of democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights, and before I'll talk about the report on Hungary, on which you actually invited me here in Dublin, I would like to talk a little bit about these values. What are they anyway, and can you measure these values, and is there no cultural bias in them? So I asked the organizers to beam you the article two of the European, of the Treaty of the European Union, while I read it for you. I keep it on the screen because I think that's the basis on all we're working on. Although I'm working on article seven, this is the content, and it's beautiful I think. The union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to a minority. And it continues, these values are common to the member states in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail. And all European member states signed up to this, and I'm sure they will do so again tomorrow. But the question is, are they defending these values when the values are on the trend? And that I think is what we need to talk about today. We live in strange times. You may be state of late Tuesday night to get some idea of the midterms in the U.S. And it seems that the strong leaders that are there to protect us against evil are a lot in fashion nowadays. Not only Donald Trump, but think of the new Brazilian President Bolsonaro. Think of Duterte in the Philippines, Sisi in Egypt, Erdogan in Turkey and indeed Viktor Orban in Hungary. Which such strong leaders that are there to protect the citizens, who needs values anyway. But I'm a historian and it surprises me that the debate around values and principles can be flipped around so easily. Because did we forget where we came from? European history has been a very violent one and individuals are often trampled and for so called greater good. We live 73 years after the Second World War and 29 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Both experiences are engraved in our collective memory. It is that understanding of the past also that has inspired the preamble of the treaty and I promise you it's the last quote I do. The preamble of the treaty of the European Union which I think is fantastic as well. We draw inspiration from the cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe. From which have developed the universal values of the enviable and inalienable rights of the human person. Freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law. Recalling the historic importance of the ending of the division of the European continent and the need to create firm bases for the construction of the future of Europe. Confirming their attachment to the principles of liberty, democracy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. It clarifies again for a second why are we actually in this process of the European Union. We overcame war, we overcame oppression and we found a future together in these principles. I joined the European Parliament in 2009 and that was five years after 10 new countries joined the European Union. Hungary and Poland to take two of them became member states in 2004. At a remarkable pace they came part of the Union. They faced decades of wars and occupations. They liberated themselves from Soviet Union oppression and a country like Hungary had its first free elections in May 1990. It applied for membership of the Union short afterwards in 1994 and at the first of May 2004 it was officially welcomed in the Union. But today in 2018 14 years later alarms bells are sounding loud. And how did we arrive here? Well since 2010 when Viktor Orban was first elected, first re-elected, that may be precise, as the Hungarian Prime Minister, he has been consistently tearing up its democracy and the rule of law by making or allowing invasive changes in the core elements of democracy. And my report includes a long list of developments but I'll name you a couple. Lowering the retirement age of judges to enable to replace them by judges that are more closely related to the current political leaders. Introducing a new system of administrative courts that you can then use to put forward fresh new judges that have no earlier background and that are again very close to the political leaders right now. And this new legislation has just this week been sent to the national parliament. Rewrite your higher education law in such a way that financial decisions in universities are taken not by the rector anymore but by somebody that is appointed by the state and in such a way actually also deciding on which academic staff to hire and to fire. Introducing a 25% tax to be paid up on foreign subsidies meant for civil society organizations. Civil society organizations that do services for migrants and refugees such as in integrating people in society. Changing the constitution to make homelessness a crime that can be prosecuted. But this is law. This is legislation change and the way the constitution has been changed in Hungary over the years is it's been very fast very rapid because twice already the ruling party had a two third majority in government. In fact there is a member of European parliament who is proud to say that he wrote the constitution on his iPads on the weekly flights Brussels, Budapest, Budapest Brussels. I don't think that is something to be proud about. Not all changes have been actually done through law and not all changes that have a chilling effect on society have to be done by law. The retirement aid for judges was returned back to the earlier status but after a European Court of Justice ruling. But the judges that were there had already been replaced and so they were never reinstated on the spot where they were taken off from. Members of parliament representing the ruling party turning up at the doorstep of NGOs and putting on placards saying these are foreign agents with rolling cameras is really quite dangerous for people working in these NGOs. The Central European University which is an outstanding institution that educates new leaders of this world has been kept in the dark about its legal status since autumn 2017. And it's now at the moment and you might have heard Michael Ignachief director of the of the university saying that if it's not getting clarity within a couple of weeks it will move to Vienna. That is a serious blow to the academic ambiance in Hungary. Ordinance wealthy friends bought newspapers and TV channels and turned them into government propaganda platforms or even closed them down overnight. Political parties were threatened with humongous fines just close to the European elections because they they were alleged used advertisement space below market prices. It only stayed a threat but if you shortly before for in a campaign short before elections fearing that you cannot pay the fine what does that do with your campaign and your campaign finances. European funding has been misused for pet projects of the government like a empty football stadium and a train from nowhere to nowhere both in the little village where Victor which Victor Orban calls home and then not to forget scaremongering under citizens via so-called national consultations and questionnaires called let's us stop Brussels or migration and terrorism mixing up migrants and security issues which is really devastating for a national and I can continue on this list but what I want to show is that sometimes smaller measures sometimes measures that have nothing to do with actually changing the law change the situation in a country and can combine lead to a serious breach by Hungary of the values on which the union is built now some could argue that or you could argue that the fetish government is democratic elected and therefore it's representing the will of the people and indeed I am not denying that that fetish won three elections in a row but I like to point out again back to article two that when we're talking about individual freedom and human dignity and equality and the fact that a country freely signed up to a membership of the union respecting these different these values democracy in Europe is not a winner takes all thing democracy in Europe is about also about respecting minorities and respecting the public space to debate and to disagree the European Parliament has as a slogan united in diversity but that is actually what we what we're all are and I see definitions being mixed when European Prime Minister starts mixing up their own position as a leader of a government the government with the political party the party in the government with the people or the nation them were in big trouble and I have not only heard Prime Minister organ mixing up party politics with responsible governance but then also the the then Polish Prime Minister of the Peace Party Beata Zitzlo and recently the Romanian Prime Minister Fiorica Dancila also not making a distinction anymore between the party the government the old personality and the people let that someone said the French Sun King Louis the 14th the state it's me what did the European you to stop the deterioration in Hungary well the European Commission started different infringement proceedings but none led to real big changes the worry back then in 2010 even led to the European Commission proposing a pre-article 7 tool the so-called the rule of law framework or article 2 2 which is in fact an intensive communication correspondence with the particular member state on what's going on but why did the Commission only trigger that in the case of Poland and not the case of Hungary I think that's because the European Commission never felt politically protected by parliament and council to actually start such a procedure towards Poland because both in parliament as in council as well as in commission the the biggest party is the European people's party of which Fires the ruling party in Hungary is a member in Ireland that is Fin Gale but let's speak very or I'm pronouncing this completely wrong I know but they actually I appreciate that a lot voted in favor of of my report and has been have been quite clear on this topic so what has the parliament done since 2010 we've done hearings and debates and resolutions and we of course asked Hungary to change course we urged the European Commission we demanded from member states to show political will and step up but little happened and although we always had majorities in parliament since 2010 for all the actions we did we lacked support of that particular European people's party and that changed in 2017 when the Hungarian government decided to restrict academic freedom and issue around the Central European University came round and when these harsh legislation on NGOs was was introduced that heavily dissatisfied the members of the European people's party and in return and in turn it allowed us to start this article 7 procedure and in May 2017 finally there was a majority in the parliament to say yes let's start that procedure and that's when it landed up in my lap and I won't talk about the how and know what because that's internal maneuvering but also came down to the fact that the bigger parties were definitely not willing to take up that file I spend a year more or less before the final vote of my report on the 12th of of September because it was the first time the parliament did the report and I think you need to do this proper and careful because it is a delicate manner so I took my time and again we did hearings and and expert meetings and I visited Hungary and I drafted the report finally based on sources actually sources outside of the union based on sources that you cannot debate the council of europe fennis commission that crackle commission the united nations election observation reports by the ocse all actually my whole report is quotes quotes quotes quotes from reports written by others since 2010 and the big shock is how many reports have been done on different topics on the situation in Hungary that is scary but I did that to be sure that nobody could say this is biased this is factory wrong this is a green liberal west european that tries to tell you et cetera and I drank an awful lot of coffee a lot of coffee to talk with colleagues in the parliament and to try to sensitize them on the report and and this decision making because to start a real article seven procedure you need a two-third majority in the parliament with a minimum vote cast of 376 members which is half of the parliament so you need a serious amount of people and when I started it in july 2017 I actually thought I will not get that majority but I'll do my best and then I can say it's not the system it is the party politics but I got it I got it and I think it is a very good sign because it shows the bigger society that that european parliament debates help in in such a light and I think it really lifted the spirit of the people in Hungary because what this is about it is touching the core of the european union so I was very happy now now comes the council of course when since 2010 when Victor Orban was as I said re-elected the member states have been using the mantra that the european commission is the guardian of the treaties and they used it as an excuse to look away and I think that's irresponsible behavior responsible politics to me is like functioning in an extended family um what do you do and let's make it personal here what do you do when you know your uncle is beating his wife do you look away relief that it's not in your household the man is the master of his household isn't he leta c'est moi but she's your aunt and she might be living in another city so you don't not confront it day by day with the domestic violence personally but you know it's there and one you shy away will from addressing that will your uncle stop beating her will the beating not increase as he's getting away with it he might start to think that it is normal behavior in fact other uncles might think that this is indeed the way you run your household uh christmas parties in the family are not fun anymore cousins come to play more often because atmosphere at home tension at home is building you know you have to confront your uncle because it's breaking up your family and your aunt is suffering well i beg your pardon for this emotional comparison and you might think it's distasteful but the situation is very distasteful and it is emotional and it is about standing up for your family and ministers of the various member states have known for years that they have to talk to their uncle but they didn't because it wasn't their household the european commission is not the single guardian of the treaties and when nobody stepped in the parliament did and we made use of the powers that we've got while action of the council is long overdue and it's therefore it came as quite a shock for me that Teresa May the British Prime Minister ordered Tory members of the european parliament to vote against the reports that i've written because she needs all the help she can get when it comes to Brexit and Victor Orban is providing her that support in fact even yesterday when he was speaking on the podium in Helsinki at the european people's party conference he said we should have stopped migrants and prevented and prevented brexit and he made a very strange way of connecting that and we all should have prevented breakfast of course brexit of course but still and that i find that it actually should that kind of politics that sort of power politics makes i think makes people suffer now ladies and gentlemen i've been close i've been a member of european parliament close to 10 years and i've seen many crisis the economic crisis the security and the terrorism crisis of course the migration crisis but we've got a new crisis it's a new crisis in town it's the values crisis member states disrespecting the conditions they have agreed to and bound by that are the basis of our union and we have been witnessing the erosion of democracy and rule of law in Hungary for over eight years and i admit we should have stepped in much earlier and we see worrying developments in other countries as well Poland and Romania for instance they are using the handbook that Hungary has given them limiting the judiciary diminishing media pluralism appointing government friendly persons in important positions and we cannot stand by and watch how our societies within the union are backtracking to times that we thought belong to the past i am leaving politics now after 10 after next elections because i've been a member of i've been a politician for 20 years now first in city council and then 10 years in european parliament and i think i need to refresh and i think that gives me the possibility to talk about what are the next elections about as i'm not running anyway and i think the real campaign for the election should be about responsible politics for the commons for the european union in in in my view is our commons and i hope here in Dublin where you where you try to understand what brexit will actually bring this is a notion that you understand well when political leaders mistakes themselves for the people or for the nations or or when they think that european corporation is always fit for that they're not worth their votes thank you and i should have made a joke if it's for me i'm not there if european politicians think that european corporation is always fit for that they're not worth your vote now the european parliament has put forward already one and a half two years ago a proposal to the commission to the european commission called the drf pact democracy rule of law fundamental rights pact where we're urging a system where we do what the un is doing and what the council of europe more or less is doing and that is a periodical review peer review of all members because the union has not got systems like that it is kind of shameful i built my report on outside sources the fundamental rights agency in vienna is not allowed to do country specific reports what we and i think we need to go there and we need to make this a normal thing like the un peer review that is taking place every couple of years so i would like us i this is what i would like to conclude i would like us to here in this room and make our own pact our own drf pact and that is the european elections should be about europe as a common and a drf pact and politicians that sign up to that they award our voice our vote thank you very much