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Viktor Orbán: No money for Ukraine?
Photo:
Franc Zhurda / AP
The rift between Hungary and the other EU member states is widening: Hungary is continuing to block EU financial aid of up to 18 billion euros for Ukraine.
At a public meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels, the representative of Hungary voted against the release of the funds.
Approval can only be decided unanimously.
"Our goal remains to start disbursing aid for Ukraine at the beginning of January," said Czech Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura, whose country will hold the Council Presidency until the end of the year.
According to him, the EU member states now want to look for an alternative solution, but this is considered complicated.
EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn said Brussels would "do its best" to provide Ukraine with the 18 billion euros that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had promised Kyiv for the coming year.
Orbán wants to put pressure on
Observers see Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's blockade as a kind of attempted blackmail.
According to diplomats, he wants to prevent the other member states from blocking EU aid for Hungary totaling more than 13 billion euros.
The EU Commission had recommended freezing the funds last week, among other things because of massive problems in the fight against corruption in Hungary.
However, there is not yet the required majority for such cuts among the member states.
Eastern European countries in particular fear being prosecuted for problems with the rule of law.
According to diplomats, an actually planned vote on suspending billions in aid for Hungary was postponed.
The Council of Ministers called on the Commission to issue a new statement on Hungary in the next few days, which would then also include the current legislation.
On Wednesday, the Hungarian parliament intends to launch the first rule of law reforms announced by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
In April, the EU Commission initiated proceedings under the so-called rule of law mechanism against Hungary for the first time.
On the one hand, this involves 7.5 billion euros in EU funding for the country.
In addition, Brussels is holding back 5.8 billion euros from the Corona development fund for Budapest in the fundamental rights dispute.
ptz/AFP/AP
