13. 11. 2020. 00:00   >>  16:38 0

AND THE RECONSTRUCTION FUND

Orban threatens veto to EU budget

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has threatened to veto an EU accord linking the bloc’s long-term budget to a mechanism requiring countries to uphold Europe’s democracy rules.

The European Council said Thursday that “provisional agreement” had been reached between Germany, which holds the rotating EU presidency, and the European Parliament over the seven-year 1.1-trillion-euro budget as well as a €750-billion virus relief package.

But according to Hungarian news-site mandiner.hu, Orban threatened to veto the package in a letter sent to the German presidency and other European leaders if the payment of budgetary funds to member states is subject to rule-of-law conditionality.

“Although Hungary is committed to cooperation, in the light of developments, it cannot provide the unanimity required for the package adopted in July,” said the letter, sent to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, president of the European Council.

The Hungarian government did not reply to a request by AFP for comment.

A European source told AFP that both Michel and von der Leyen had received the letter, as had Germany — which currently holds the bloc’s rotating presidency — and Portugal, which takes over the presidency in January.

In the letter, Orban explained “that he cannot give his agreement to the compromise on conditionality, because it doesn’t correspond to the package agreed in July,” the EU source said.