
The European Parliament has officially approved the request for the internal investigation against Commissioner Oliver Várhelyi about his role in the Western Balkans. With 357 votes in favor, 180 against and 95 abstentions, the European Parliament has approved the request of MEPs to investigate the commissioner for favoring Serbia during the organization's expansion negotiations.
According to them "the role of the European Commission is to protect the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, promote democracy in Serbia and ensure peace and stability in Montenegro and Kosovo and not do the opposite".
The group of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, which promoted the petition, said it was "alarmed by the commissioner's actions.
Among their arguments, it is said that Commissioner Várhelyi constantly relativizes Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's attacks on democracy and supports the separatist actions of Milorad Dodik.
This group, the second largest in the European Parliament, says it had accepted the candidacy of Commissioner Várhelyi three years ago on the condition that he act only in the interest of the whole EU and not in the interest of his government in Budapest.
Enlargement commissioner Varhelyi is considered Orban's man in Brussels and has been criticized before for friendly and soft behavior towards the autocrats of the Balkans, especially the Serbian president, Aleksander Vucic.