Hungary believes that European Union funding for Ukraine should not come from the EU budget and a “reasonable” timeline should be set for any funding to Kiev, the country’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Thursday. Reuters.
“I am convinced that giving Ukraine 50 billion euros from the EU budget for five years… This is a bad decision,” Orban said at a press conference.
All 27 EU countries except Hungary agreed last week to start accession talks with Ukraine, bypassing Orbán’s opposition, forcing him to leave the room during the summit when the decision was made. Orbán confirmed that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz proposed this decision.
But leaders could not overcome Orbán’s resistance to overhauling the EU budget to redirect 50 billion euros to Kiev and provide more money for other tasks such as managing migration.
EU leaders, who would prefer a deal backed by all members but also have a plan B, are expected to revisit the issue at an emergency summit on February 1.
“They want to give the money to Ukraine from the EU budget, Hungary wants to give it outside the EU budget. They have the option – if we don’t agree with it – to solve it outside the budget, but they don’t have the option to solve it from the budget of The EU without Hungary’s approval,” Orbán is emphatic.
“They have an opportunity, 26 members, to resolve this with a joint off-budget loan. If that happens, we will consider how we will respond.”
The EU could continue to help with a workaround that includes a deal between 26 members and Ukraine that would also deny Budapest access to related EU funds, such as on migration.
The EU has suspended much of its funding to Hungary over concerns that Budapest has damaged the country’s democratic checks and balances. The EU unlocked some of those funds last week, acknowledging that Budapest had reformed its judicial system, but around 20 billion euros still remain frozen.
When asked on Thursday, Orban said Hungary would not want to link the issue of suspended EU funds to Budapest over rule of law problems with funding to be given to Ukraine.
“We do not want to link the financial aid that will be given to Ukraine with any Hungarian financial problems… that would also violate the EU’s principle of loyal cooperation,” he noted.
2023-12-21 11:38:48
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