Brussels reacts to Orbán

The European Commission's proposal to the Council to suspend the delivery of 7,500 million euros from community funds to Hungary due to the lack of guarantees against corrupt practices represents an important qualitative leap in the European government for three reasons.

It is the first time that the Community Executive activates a drastic anti-corruption tool created to defend the rule of law in those countries with an authoritarian drift, resizes the stormy relationship between the national-populist government of Viktor Orbán and the EU and, thirdly, Firstly, it constitutes a warning to navigators before political scenarios of other partners.

The body chaired by Ursula von der Leyen has requested the freezing of 65% of three programs belonging to the cohesion funds, invoking the conditionality mechanism, which legitimizes this measure if the recipient cannot guarantee that the money will be used correctly and transparent.

The Commission has not done so by surprise.

Since last April, he has already activated this clause and since then he has been negotiating with Orbán the establishment of a series of legal and technical regulations that guarantee the proper destination of the money.

Budapest promised to adopt 17 specific measures that until last Sunday had remained in the drawer of unfulfilled promises.

Nor has Brussels acted without foundation.

The Commission has found "systematic irregularities" in public procurement, mostly with European funds.

Between 2014 and 2020 alone, Hungary received 27.2 billion euros – approximately 60% of its public investment – ​​and the situation is scandalous to say the least: the Commission has found that around 50% of public tenders in Hungary have only one bidder.

And, finally, the Commission is not acting recklessly, because it has the legal endorsement of the Court of Justice of the EU since last February.

It is no exaggeration to say that since the beginning of his second term as chief executive in 2010, Orbán has promoted an illiberal regime - the European Parliament has officially described the country as "a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy" -, has systematically undermined the European construction project with the blocking of decisions —such as the adoption of the minimum rate of 15% for Corporate Tax in the EU— and has ended up becoming a point of reference for the Europhobic far-right in all continental democracies.

The EU is not a mere economic club but a federal and democratic project antagonistic to the nationalist plans of a rising extreme right that tends to blame Europe for local difficulties.

This mechanism has worked in Sweden, where the far-right and Europhobic formation Democrats —deception even in name— has obtained 20% of the votes, is the second force in the Stockholm Parliament and claims a “central role” in a country historically identified for its tolerance and well-being.

The same threat hangs over Italy, where Giorgia Meloni leads the Brothers of Italy and leads the polls with a national-populist rhetoric barely concealed behind dovish statements aimed at reassuring markets.

Belonging to a democratic Europe implies obligations, substantive and procedural,