(ANSA) - BRUSSELS, DICEMBER 04 - The European Commission has registered a new European Citizens Initiative (ECI), inviting to propose to trigger Article 7 of the EU Treaty for alleged breaches of the EU's fundamental values by Hungary. This registration starts a one-year process of collection of signatures in support of the proposed ECI by its organisers.

The Commission's decision to register concerns only the legal admissibility of the proposal. The College of the EU Commissioners has not analysed the substance of the initiative at this stage. Should the ECI receive one million statements of support within one year, from at least seven different Member States, the EU Commission will have to react within three months and can decide either to follow the request or not follow the request, in both instances would be required to explain its reasoning. (ANSA)