In the seemingly endless conflict between the European Union and Hungary, it now seems that the EU has blinked.
The European Union executive Commission approved 900 million euros ($1 billion) in ‘advance payments’ to Hungary under its share of recovery funds as the bloc seeks to overcome Budapest’s veto of aid to Ukraine.
Read: Hungary’s Orbán Calls the European Union a ‘Bad Contemporary Parody’ of the Soviet Union
It is uncertain if this will change Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s mind on the subject, but this move echoes Ukrainian President Zelensky’s recent statement that Hungary’s refusal to vote for military aid was ‘not insurmountable.’
Reuters reported:
“The EU’s Brussels-based executive, the European Commission, locked Hungary out of the bloc’s post-pandemic economic stimulus due to concerns over corruption and backpedalling on democratic checks and balances under veteran Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
In turn, Hungary has blocked EU decisions otherwise expected next month to grant Ukraine 50 billion euros in economic aid through 2027 and start accession talks with Kyiv. Budapest also stalled a plan to extend 20 billion euros in EU military aid to Kyiv, and is against sanctions over Russia for waging the war.”
EU support is, now more than ever, crucial to Ukraine. Orbán, who refused to sever ties with Moscow, has consistently refused to send further military aid.
This week, Budapest unveiled a billboard campaign against the European Commission, just as the ruling Fidesz party is pushing a bill to protect national sovereignty from foreign meddling.
“Hungary’s chief EU negotiator, Tibor Navracsics, was quoted by the state news agency MTI as saying Budapest will continue negotiating with Brussels to unlock ‘all the EU funds we are entitled to as soon as possible’.
The advance payments – which do not require meeting rule-of-law conditions otherwise attached to EU financial aid – come under RePowerEU, part of the post-pandemic EU stimulus meant to support energy transition away from fossil fuels.
EU officials said Hungary’s amended recovery plan is worth a total of 10.4 billion euros over several years – or about 5% of Hungary’s 2023 GDP – including 4.6 billion euros under RePowerEU: 0.7 billion euros in grants and 3.9 billion in loans.”
All EU member countries now have four weeks to endorse the European Commission’s decision and give the green light for the payment.
Associated Press reported:
“The Commission will authorize regular disbursements based on the satisfactory completion of the reforms to ensure the protection of the Union’s financial interests and to strengthen judicial independence, as translated into 27 super milestones,’ the Commission said in a statement.”
Historically, a large recipient of EU funds, Hungary has come under increasing criticism for ‘veering away from democratic norms,’ a.k.a. refusing to implement globalist Brussels policies.
“Orbán has also repeatedly angered the EU since Russia started its war in Ukraine last year. He has criticized the sanctions adopted by member countries against Russia as being largely ineffective and counter-productive, and last month met Vladimir Putin in a rare in-person meeting for the Russian president with a leader of a European Union country.
Last December, the EU froze billions of euros in cohesion funds allocated to Hungary over its failure to implement solid rule-of-law reforms. Although Hungary insists it doesn’t link EU funds to other issues, many in Brussels see its veto threats regarding aid to Ukraine as Orbán’s bid to blackmail the bloc into releasing billions in regular EU funds and pandemic recovery cash that has been held up.”
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