EU leaders have failed to agree on additional funding for Ukraine after Hungary blocked a deal. EU Council President Charles Michel said this on Friday evening in Brussels. They now want to further negotiate an increase in the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) during a special summit in January.
26 EU member states have agreed in principle on increasing the multi-year EU budget – which includes €50 billion to support Ukraine, Michel said.
Michel did not directly mention Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as the head of state blocking an agreement.
But she acknowledged this herself on X (formerly Twitter).
In June, the European Commission asked Member States for additional resources for the MFF (2021-2027). This included the aforementioned 50 billion for Ukraine. The Brussels government also wanted more money for migration and neighborhood policy, competitiveness and higher financing costs. The 26 EU countries, which are now in fundamental agreement, are likely to make significantly less money available for areas outside Ukraine, as top circles have shown.
Georgia is given EU candidate status
The EU summit will continue on Friday. Topics that are still open include the situation in the Middle East, migration and the fight against anti-Semitism, Michel explains. On Thursday, the heads of state and government had already spoken out in favor of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. Accession talks will also be opened with Bosnia as soon as the necessary conditions are met. The committee will submit a report in March. Georgia is given EU candidate status.
Here too, the Hungarian head of government initially took a position. However, by briefly leaving the meeting room, he paved the way for a consensus decision among EU government leaders.
Source: Krone
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