Following the speech of Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin this morning, the plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg continues with a focus on minimum wages in the EU, the Renewable Energy Directive, the state of play of the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Strait of Taiwan, and the increase in energy prices in Europe. Tomorrow, MEPs will again debate a topic that has been addressed repeatedly: the state of democracy in Hungary. According to a draft report reviewing developments since Parliament activated Article 7 (debate on Wednesday, vote on Thursday), “European values are under systemic threat in Hungary”. In the text, MEPs say that democracy and fundamental rights in Hungary have further deteriorated due to the “deliberate and systemic efforts of the Hungarian government”, exacerbated by EU inaction. According to MEPs, the main areas of concern are “the functioning of the constitutional and electoral system, judicial independence, academic and religious freedom, and the rights of vulnerable groups”.