EU member gets more frozen funds released — RT World News
Brussels freed up two billion euros after Budapest approved Sweden's membership in NATO
The European Union has released another tranche of previously blocked funding to Hungary, citing Budapest's alleged progress on gender equality. The decision came just days after Hungary voted to ratify Sweden's application to join NATO.
Hungarian business news outlet Portfolio was first to report the release of €2 billion ($2.2 billion). Stefan De Keersmaeker, spokesman for the European Commission, confirmed this to Bloomberg.
According to De Keersmaeker, the funds were released after the Hungary meeting “Thematic conditions on pedagogical training and gender equality.”
On Monday, Parliament in Budapest I voted to approve EU member Sweden has requested to join NATO, removing the final hurdle for Stockholm to be part of the US-led military bloc.
In December, E.U Unblocked 10.2 billion euros in frozen funds, after announcing that Hungary had made progress “Independence of the judiciary.” The move came before a European Council meeting scheduled to discuss a €50 billion military aid package for Ukraine, which Budapest had been blocking.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has openly declared that Hungary will not abandon its opposition to funding Ukraine unless Brussels unfreezes all funds owed to his country.
At the end of 2022, the European Union froze €22 billion ($23 billion) intended for Hungary, citing concerns about the independence of judges and Budapest's supposed violations of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights on issues such as immigration, LGBT rights and academic freedom. .
Orban has explicitly said that Hungary will not budge from its position “Immigration, gender and war” He described these issues as issues on which no amount of money could make Budapest change its mind.
The EU still holds around €19 billion of funding originally allocated to Hungary, half of which includes coronavirus recovery grants and the rest consisting of coronavirus recovery grants. “Cohesion Funds” Distributed to cluster members.
Earlier this year, the Financial Times leaked a proposal put forward by European Union officials sabotage Hungary's economy if Orban continues to challenge the bloc. His government was established He denounced The plan was deemed unacceptable and described as “De facto political rape.”
You can share this story on social media:
Source link
