Acting foreign minister understands Czech MEPs who voted for procedure against Hungary

Acting Czech Foreign Minister and Social Democrat leader Jan Hamáček has defended the right of Czech MEPs to vote in line with their conscience in the European Parliament vote on whether to launch a procedure against Hungary on Wednesday.

Hamáček said that he too was concerned by some of the steps taken by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, such as those against the judiciary and the free press.

He said that unlike the Czech prime minister he would not take up the issue with those MEPs who had voted in favour of launching a procedure against Hungary since he understood their line of reasoning.