STRASBOURG — The European Parliament passed a motion on Wednesday declaring that Hungary is at risk of breaching the EU's core values, triggering a disciplinary process that could exacerbate deep divisions within the bloc.

With 448 votes in favor, the Parliament decided for the first time to initiate a so-called Article 7 process, citing concerns about judicial independence, corruption, freedom of expression, academic freedom, the rights of minorities and migrants, and other issues. A total of 197 members of the European Parliament opposed the motion and 48 abstained.

The vote reflects a divide within the EU, between those who stress that it is a community of liberal values, and leaders such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has championed the idea of "illiberal democracy." Broadly speaking, major Western European governments such as France and Germany along with the European Commission are in the former camp while governments in Central and Eastern Europe are in the latter.

The Commission initiated Article 7 proceedings for the first time last year — against Poland, citing concerns about government influence over the judiciary and other rule-of-law issues.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó decried the vote as “revenge” by pro-migration politicians.

The Article 7 process can lead to a member country being stripped of its right to vote in the Council of the European Union. Things are unlikely to get that far with either Poland or Hungary, however, as it would require the unanimous approval of other member countries — and multiple EU governments do not want to take that step.

Orbán has clashed repeatedly with Brussels in recent years, most notably over his hard-line rejection of Muslim refugees and migrants. But he has also faced criticism for crackdowns on Budapest's Central European University and NGOs, and for a more general "Stop Brussels" anti-European Commission campaign he mounted last year.

The vote increases the pressure on leaders of the European People's Party, the center-right bloc that makes up the largest group in the Parliament, to suspend or expel Orbán's Fidesz party from their ranks. More liberal parties in the group have pushed to have Fidesz removed but Manfred Weber, the EPP leader in the Parliament who last week announced he is running to be the next Commission president, has indicated he does not want to take that step.

Shortly before the vote, Weber tweeted that he would back the motion but the EPP group "wants to keep the dialogue and continue bringing Europe together. The dialogue should begin, not end, in the upcoming weeks and months."

But he also added, "It is clear for us that our European values are not negotiable."

Immediately after the vote, MEPs gave a standing ovation to Dutch Green MEP Judith Sargentini, who drafted the report upon which the resolution was based.

"I am so proud that my Hungary report has the support of the European Parliament, but this is foremost about the rights of Hungarian citizens. I thank my colleagues that stand for the protection of democracy and the rule of law, above their interest in party politics," Sargentini said.

Budapest sees 'revenge'

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó decried the vote as “revenge” by pro-migration politicians. He also said it involved “cheating” because abstentions were not counted in determining whether the necessary two-thirds majority had been reached. Hungary's EPP delegation made the same argument, saying it considered the vote invalid — even though abstentions were not counted on the advice of the Parliament's legal service.

Orbán himself addressed the Parliament the day before the vote, giving a defiant speech in which he portrayed his country as a defender of conservative Christian values and refused to offer any concessions to his critics.

Parliament's vote passes the baton to the EU's member governments, in the Council of the European Union. According to Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union, the Council should hear from the accused member country and "may determine that there is a clear risk of a serious breach" of the EU's fundamental values.

But the wording of the treaty leaves open the possibility that the Council could choose not to make a determination — or not even to discuss the matter. The treaty does not specify any timetable or deadlines.

A senior official from a Western European country said the bloc's General Affairs Council would likely take up the issue. But the official noted the Commission's case against Poland has been on the Council's agenda for months, without reaching any resolution.

"Article 7 is meant to re-establish the conditions for a dialogue," the official said. "It didn’t work out for Poland so is Hungary likely to enter in the same category? The goal is not sanctions, the goal is to bring them back to practices that are tolerable."

In Budapest, Orbán's critics greeted vote in Strasbourg with euphoria.

The vote constitutes “a red light to the systemic violation of our shared European values,” said Stefánia Kapronczay, head of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, adding that nevertheless a “further crackdown might follow in the short run.”

“We are not worried, we are prepared,” Kapronczay said.

Lili Bayer contributed reporting.

This article has been updated.