The European Commission recently announced that some of the blocked billions owed to Hungary under the Cohesion Fund, but withheld due to shortcomings in the rule of law, have now been released.
After a “careful investigation” and “several contacts” with the Hungarian government, the Commission concluded that Budapest met the conditions for judicial independence, the Commission announced on Wednesday afternoon. “This means that part of cohesion policy payments are no longer blocked and Hungary can claim payments worth up to 10.2 billion euros,” the report said.
EU parliamentarians tried to block aid further
Observers see the decision as related to efforts to prevent Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán from vetoing the start of accession negotiations with Ukraine. Until recently, several political groups in the European Parliament tried to convince Brussels not to give in to Orbán’s “blackmail attempts”.
Hungary called on Wednesday for the release of 30 billion euros in financing. Balázs Orbán, political director of right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (not a relative of the prime minister), said, according to the Bloomberg agency, that Hungary would withdraw its veto against Ukraine in this case.
However, because this only concerns a small part of the frozen EU funds, the question is whether Orbán will see this as a concession.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
