Hungary rejects the EU plan to transfer more money to Ukraine, and Budapest is unwilling to pay more funds to cover the expenses of managing the EU’s debts, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on state radio on June 30.
On the fringes of an EU summit in Brussels, Orban said it was a “ridiculous” proposal from the Commission to expect Hungary to donate more money since Budapest, along with Poland, had not received support from the Fund.
The EU’s recovery has been hampered by legal issues.
The EU said on June 20 that it will provide Ukraine with a 50 billion euro aid package for the years 2024-2027.
Brussels, #EUCO. We want to know who is responsible for bringing the European Union to the brink of bankruptcy. Where is the money @EU_Commission ? pic.twitter.com/va7l1ipcNy
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) June 29, 2023
This decision follows an assessment of the common EU budget for the years 2021-2027, which was spent on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukrainian war, and the energy crisis.
Utility expenses have more than doubled as a result of rising inflation and interest rates.
“One thing is certain: we Hungarians… will not give more money to Ukraine until they explain where the previous 70 billion euros of funds went,” Orban added.
“We consider it ridiculous and absurd that we have to contribute more money to finance the debts due to the cost of services, from which we have not yet received the funds due to us,” the Hungarian Prime Minister stated.
Hungary and Poland are the two EU members that have been slow to get recovery money.
The European Commission has rejected these payments owing to allegations that these two nations’ nationalist regimes have undermined democracy and the rule of law.
