Hungary Lifts One Veto On Ukraine After Brussels Frees 10 Billion Euros

The European Commission announced on Tuesday evening that it is unfreezing the allocation of 10.2 billion euros from the cohesion funds to Hungary, after a few hours earlier Budapest published the last part of the adopted judicial reform - a condition for the allocation of the money.

The decision comes just a day before an EU summit, which Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has threatened to block by using his right to veto decisions to continue financial, economic and military aid to Ukraine, as well as the start of membership talks with Kyiv in the EU.

Three aprograms for Hungary with a total budget of 6.3 billion euros remain blocked, but Budapest can start sending invoices for completed projects of up to 10.2 billion euros, as it has fulfilled the requirements to ensure the independence of the judiciary.

Payments under the recovery plan also remain blocked. Thus, the money to which Budapest still does not have access is a total of 21 billion euros.

The tens of billions that were released on Wednesday were held by Brussels under a new procedure tying access to European funding to the rule of law. Last year, Hungary agreed to implement 17 reforms to improve controls over the spending of euro funds, public procurement legislation and anti-corruption measures.

On Wednesday afternoon, the latest legislative changes were published in the Hungarian Official Gazette. And the main political adviser of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban - Balázs Orbán - told the Bloomberg agency that the veto on financial aid to Ukraine will be withdrawn if the European Commission unfreezes the cohesion funding.

However, Hungary maintains its disagreement with the start of negotiations on Ukraine's EU membership.

The issue of Ukraine's membership in the EU remains a "red line" for Hungary, the prime minister's adviser pointed out. Earlier, Prime Minister Orbán said that while the Union is ready, Kyiv should only be offered a strategic partnership, not full membership.

In an interview with the Hungarian electronic publication "Mandiner" site, Orban defined as "absurd, ridiculous and frivolous" the start of negotiations with Kyiv.

"If we take into account the numbers from the economic analyses and take seriously the situation that the negotiations (with Ukraine) will aim to secure its membership in the EU, and not just to make a political gesture, then we must say that in the current difficult moment, such a thing is absurd, ridiculous and frivolous," Orban stated, quoted by the Associated Press and BTA.

Earlier in Oslo, where he met with Scandinavian leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was still waiting for Orban's response to his request to give him at least one reason to stall the talks. The two met in Argentina at the swearing-in of new president Javier Milei on Sunday.

In the early afternoon, the leaders of the four largest parliamentary groups in the European Parliament - the Christian Democrats, the Socialists, the Liberals and the Greens - called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen not to release the money before an analysis of the changes undertaken by Hungary, but the decision of the Commission was published a few hours later.

According to the leaders of the parliamentary factions, it cannot be assumed that Orbán's government has fulfilled the conditions for strengthening the independence of the judiciary, based only on the adoption of legal changes, and their implementation must also be seen.

"We are mostly concerned about the implementation of the requirement to strengthen the National Judicial Council. The election of this body is ongoing and is expected to be completed around January 10, 2024. As there are already signs that decision-making is not independent of the government's interests , the positive assessment before that date undermines the goal (the condition set)", the letter from the parliament says.

"It cannot be estimated whether the National Judicial Council will be independent not only on paper, but also as a composition. Until this happens, all the reforms that strengthen its positions may be null and void," political leaders worry.

Parliamentary leaders are also concerned about the newly adopted law on national sovereignty, fearing that it will be used to silence dissenters and the media.

Last week, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova hinted that the Commission would unfreeze the funds, saying after a visit to Budapest that she saw the country was making great efforts to meet Brussels' conditions for the money.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!