The European Commission on Wednesday, December 13, will “unfreeze” 10 billion euros for Hungary, previously frozen due to the country’s problems with the rule of law.
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The Hungarian newspaper Nepszava wrote about this, citing sources.
Budapest blocked a €50 billion program from the EU for 2024-2027, €20 billion in military aid, €500 million in ongoing military assistance in 2023 and the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
Earlier, the media, in particular the Guardian, wrote that the EU was considering the possibility of unblocking funds for Hungary in order to obtain approval for further assistance to Ukraine and the start of membership negotiations with Kiev.
But the European Commission assured that the allocation of funds to Hungary is not related to the fact that it is blocking a decision on Ukraine at the upcoming EU summit on December 14-15.
Sources say that Budapest has indeed fulfilled the requirements agreed with the EC to reform the judicial system.
The Financial Times wrote on December 12 that the EU is considering the possibility of emergency funding for Ukraine bypassing the general budget due to Hungary’s position.
Politico believes that concessions to Orban could cost the top leadership of Europe their positions.
Hungary and its openly pro-Russian leader Viktor Orban have long been a thorn in the side of the European Union. Now he resorts to outright blackmail. To ensure that Hungary does not block the issue of Ukraine’s membership in the EU, the bloc’s long-term budget and migration, the European Commission intends to give Hungary access to billions of EU funds that were frozen by Brussels due to concerns about the independence of the judiciary.
Some EU countries see Hungary’s threats as a way to get more money from the European Commission, and while giving in to Orban now might ease the situation in the short term, it could blow up the EU in the long term.
Allowing Orbán to have his way would also infuriate the European Parliament ahead of next year’s EU elections and the subsequent vacancy of top EU positions, particularly for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, should she seek re-election.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.