According to EU diplomats, Budapest is ready to lift the veto on EU aid to Ukraine, provided that the European Council unanimously approves funding on an annual basis.
“In practice, this would give Orban the opportunity to block EU funding to Ukraine every year – or receive concessions from Brussels for waiving the veto,” Politico writes.
Hungary formulated a proposal to this effect on Friday, January 5, during a meeting of 27 EU budget experts. According to the diplomat, the plan envisages that the bloc will provide Ukraine with 12.5 billion euros in grants and loans annually. Over four years this will amount to 50 billion euros.
While this is not the first time Hungary has floated the idea, it marks a significant shift from Orbán’s rhetoric in recent weeks, when he opposed any grants to Ukraine from the EU budget. But some EU diplomats remain skeptical, pointing out that the decision year after year will not provide predictability for Ukraine,” the publication explains.
According to the diplomat, the MFF is a multi-year program, and therefore cannot be voted on every year.
Help for Ukraine from the EU
Last year, the European Union proposed to allocate 50 billion euros for Ukraine by 2027. For such a decision to be approved, the consent of absolutely all countries is needed, however, during the last meeting, Hungary vetoed it. As Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said earlier, the EU will ultimately approve funding with or without Budapest.
According to the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the bloc is preparing an alternative plan for financial support for Ukraine in the event of a lack of consensus between the countries.
2024-01-09 10:29:59
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