FILE PHOTO: European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker delivers a speech during a debate on The State of the European Union at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, September 12, 2018. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler/File Photo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he supported the European Parliament’s decision on Wednesday to open a punitive procedure against Hungary for persistently flaunting democratic rules.

The procedure, called Article 7, can theoretically go as far as suspending of Hungary’s voting rights in the EU.

“If I was a member of the European Parliament, I would have voted in favor of Article 7,” Juncker said in a tweet.

“The European Commission is using the tools we have, launching infringement procedures against countries that don’t respect EU law. Am in harmony with today’s decision,” he said.