As of: February 1, 2024, 7:51 p.m
By: Laura May
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Press
Split
Hungary's veto blocked EU billions for Ukraine.
But at the special EU summit in Brussels, Viktor Orban gave up his resistance.
Update from February 1st, 3:10 p.m.:
The agreement at the special EU summit came faster than expected: Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has given up his blockade of EU aid for Ukraine.
All 27 heads of state and government approved the planned support package worth 50 billion euros - including Hungary.
The breakthrough came after a small meeting in which Chancellor Scholz also took part.
A compromise proposal put forward by Orbán did not go through: He had called for the EU to vote on aid to Ukraine every year.
However, there was a small concession to Hungary: the other 26 countries granted the opportunity to discuss aid to Ukraine again at senior level after two years.
However, changes would have to be decided unanimously.
So it is not enough for Hungary alone to call for a new discussion.
First report: Orbán promises Ukraine EU billions – under one condition
Brussels – For months, the EU has been wrestling with Hungary over the promised billions in aid for Ukraine.
Specifically, it's about 50 billion euros by 2027. Viktor Orbán didn't seem to be backing down from his veto for a long time.
Shortly before the upcoming special EU summit on Thursday, he explained in an interview with the French magazine
Le Point
how he could still support the aid package.
The right-wing populist explained that he was ready to be “part of the solution”.
However, he could only agree to the release of the funds if there was a new vote every year.
He could not support a draft that regulates payments until 2027.
According to
dpa
, Orbán also refers to the upcoming EU elections in June.
If funds were decided now for the next four years, voters could get the impression that their vote would have no influence anyway.
“Emergency brake” for Orbán?
Diplomats make counter-proposal to Hungary
Within the EU, Hungary's head of government is quite alone with his positions; only the controversial populist Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico wants to stand by his neighbor when in doubt.
All other EU member states reject an annual vote and accuse Hungary of blackmail.
Orbán is trying to use a veto policy to release EU funds that have been frozen due to concerns about the rule of law.
An annual vote would mean that Hungary could veto it every year.
However, Ukraine urgently needs planning and secure, long-term support.
Critics of Ursula von der Leyen accuse the EU Commission of allowing itself to be blackmailed by Hungary's head of state Viktor Orbán.
(Archive photo) © Ludovic Marin/AFP
EU diplomats and officials have responded to Orbán's demand with a counterproposal.
Instead of resolving aid to Ukraine every year and unanimously, they could imagine a kind of “emergency brake,” according to information from the
afp
news agency .
This would allow the Hungarian head of government to hold annual discussions about aid.
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“We don’t want an escalation of the war,” says Orbán.
“Ensuring an agreement is crucial for our credibility,” explains EU Council President Charles Michel.
At the special EU summit on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is scheduled to speak to participants via video link and will once again pledge the EU's solidarity.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wants to urge his European colleagues to provide further national aid in addition to the EU budget.
Germany is in first place in Europe with 7 billion euros pledged for 2024.
(lm/dpa/afp)