The EU commission wants Hungary to continue blocking €7.5 billion from the EU budget. This is evident from a recommendation presented in Brussels on Wednesday. The background are concerns about the rule of law in the country. The government in Budapest had already expected EU funds to be frozen, but is confident that the funds will arrive in the coming year.
The accompanying recommendation was presented by EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn, Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders. Austrian Minister for Europe Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) announced that the Commission’s assessment would be trusted in this country.
No more democracy
More than two months ago, MEPs decided to no longer consider Hungary a full-fledged democracy, but an “elective autocracy”. This was justified mainly with corruption and other violations of the rule of law. The MPs found, for example, that Hungary does too little against corruption and that EU funds are insufficiently protected against misuse. A group around Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban would enrich itself at the expense of the common EU budget.
The final decision on whether or not 7.5 billion will be scrapped will be taken next Tuesday at a Council of EU finance ministers. To actually reduce the funds, a decision by at least 15 EU countries with at least 65 percent of the EU population is needed. Despite the Commission’s current recommendation, the government in Budapest is confident that all EU funds will flow in the coming year.
Budapest is confident that the money will flow in 2023
The freeze of funds is “nothing new”, as the roadmap launched by Hungary in September to meet EU rule of law requirements contains deadlines that have not yet been met, EU minister Tibor Navracsics reasoned. The minister described the fact that the Commission had formally confirmed Hungary’s plan for the use of the funds in relation to the EU recovery fund as an important progress. This opens the way to signing the agreement.
Source: Krone
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