The European Commission nevertheless decided to unfreeze 10 billion euros for Hungary.
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These funds were blocked due to problems with bribery and the rule of law in the country. It is known that yesterday the Hungarian government adopted a law on the independence of courts required in the European Union.
Previously, Viktor Orban promised to veto the allocation of 50 billion euros to Ukraine if the EU does not unblock funding for his country. Let us remind you that a summit will begin tomorrow, where they will raise the topic of starting negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
Currently, Hungary is blocking four EU initiatives regarding Ukraine:
- 50 billion benefits for 2024-2027;
- 20 billion military aid for 2024-2027;
- 500 million military aid in 2023;
- start of EU accession negotiations
After a thorough assessment and several negotiations with the Hungarian government, the Commission considers that Hungary has taken the measures it committed to,” allowing the EU executive to release funds, the Commission said in a press release. “This means that part of the cohesion policy funding will no longer be blocked. and therefore Hungary may seek compensation of up to approximately 10.2 billion euros.
Politico writes that Orban’s government has been embroiled in a long-running dispute with Brussels, which has frozen billions of EU funds intended for Hungary over concerns about human rights and the rule of law in the country.
In December 2022, the EC decided to block some 22 billion euros in EU cohesion funds aimed at helping poorer EU member states invest in their economies. These funds are largely paid as reimbursement for money spent by national governments on domestic programs.
The European Commission then set conditions that Budapest must fulfill in order to gain cash access. This included the implementation of a number of measures to strengthen the independence of the judiciary.
Since then, the Hungarian authorities have made some legislative changes to strengthen the role and powers of the National Judicial Council – the body that oversees the administration of the Hungarian courts – and the independence of the Supreme Court.
These changes were enough to release some, but not all, of the frozen funds, as Hungary still faces another set of reforms related to the protection of human rights and academic freedom. In parallel, it also expects to receive 10.4 billion euros in grants and cheap loans from the EU, for which it will have to take a number of anti-corruption measures.
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.