A large majority of EU countries have agreed to freeze the billions in planned payments for Hungary from the Community budget – but the amount should not be as high as proposed by the EU Commission. Hungarian Prime Minister Orban only made disparaging remarks about the EU parliament on Monday afternoon.
The background to the unprecedented crackdown on Hungary is the concern that EU funds are being misused in the country due to inadequate anti-corruption measures.
Shortly before the deal was reached, the European Commission renewed a recommendation that grants of around €7.5 billion earmarked for Hungary should be frozen until Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s right-wing government fully implements promises to uphold the rule of law. Now, after a compromise, it should be around €6.3 billion, as it should be recognized that Hungary has already implemented some of the measures required by the country.
A qualified majority is required for the final approval of the proposal – that means at least 15 of the 27 EU member states must agree, representing at least 65 percent of the EU’s total population. This demand has been met following the agreement reached in the Permanent Representatives Committee and will now be formalized in a written procedure ahead of the EU summit on Thursday.
Austria is also on board
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg emphasized before the EU Foreign Council on Monday that Austria wants to follow the committee’s recommendations.
Further developments are now eagerly awaited, especially as Hungary has significant resources to put pressure on the EU. For example, the government in Budapest could block decisions that require unanimity in the EU.
Source: Krone
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