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Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki with his counterpart Viktor Orbán in 2020
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Andrzej Lange/EPO-EFE/Shutterstock
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has spoken out against the planned cut in EU funding for Hungary.
Speaking to journalists, Morawiecki said his country would "do everything in its power to resist any plan by the European institutions to withhold funds from a member state, in this case Hungary, in an absolutely unacceptable manner".
The EU Commission had previously proposed freezing 7.5 billion euros in EU aid to Hungary due to allegations of corruption.
Among other things, Brussels accuses Hungary of corruption, conflicts of interest and massive problems with public procurement and party financing.
A group led by right-wing populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is suspected of enriching itself to the detriment of the EU budget.
Ultimately, the EU member states would have to decide on the cut, but the Commission still wants to give Budapest the opportunity to carry out reforms.
Hungary and Poland in the EU's sights
The right-wing nationalist government in Budapest announced reforms on Saturday that the country wants to use to prevent funding cuts.
Hungary has announced that it intends to implement "measures to rectify the situation" by November 19, said EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn.
His authority will “evaluate the situation and act accordingly”.
In April, the Commission activated the so-called rule of law mechanism against Hungary.
This means that payments from the EU budget can be reduced in the event of violations of common fundamental values.
Morawiecki pointed out that Orbán had already prepared “a draft agreement” with the EU Commission.
Brussels is also at odds with the head of the right-wing conservative government in Warsaw – in this case the main issue is judicial reform.
Hungary and Poland are also being targeted by the Commission for violations of press freedom and minorities.
atb/AFP
