Orbán forces special treatment in small group
At the EU summit, Hungary's Prime Minister Orbán is trying to free up frozen money from Brussels for a "yes" to Ukraine accession talks. To settle the dispute, Chancellor Scholz, French President Macron and EU Commission President von der Leyen are now putting him through the wringer in advance.
Following blockade threats from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the start of the EU summit in Brussels has been delayed. According to a spokeswoman for EU Council President Charles Michel, there will be small group talks with Orbán before the summit. According to the spokesperson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will also take part.
At the last regular EU summit of the year this Thursday and Friday, decisions are to be made on the start of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova and a revision of the long-term EU budget. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán threatened to block the decisions until the very end. He argued, among other things, that Ukraine had not yet fulfilled all the reform requirements and that the proposal for a budget revision did not meet Hungary's expectations.
EU diplomats believe it is possible that Orbán's statements are merely intended to increase pressure to free up further frozen EU funds for his country. However, others point out that the right-wing populist has recently repeatedly claimed that he would not back down on the issue of Ukraine even after the release of funds.
Around ten billion euros released
In a letter to EU Council President Charles Michel, Orbán recently wrote that he urgently requested that no decisions be planned for the summit, as this would lead to failure due to the lack of consensus. Such a counterproductive scenario must be avoided in the interests of EU unity.
On Wednesday, shortly before the summit, the EU Commission announced that it would release around ten billion euros in frozen EU funds for Hungary because reform requirements had been met with judicial reforms. However, other budget funds amounting to almost twelve billion euros and billions in coronavirus aid remain blocked.
The government in Kiev recently warned of "devastating consequences" if the EU summit on the start of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine fails due to a veto by Hungary. If there is no positive decision, this would be extremely demotivating for the people of Ukraine, said Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at the beginning of the week. It would also give the impression to the outside world that the EU is not in a position to make decisions of a historic nature.
In addition to the accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, the summit will decide on the EU's long-term financial plan. According to the EU Commission, this is to be supplemented by a new financing instrument for Ukraine, among other things. 50 billion euros could thus be made available to the country attacked by Russia over the next few years.
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Despite Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán threatening to veto the EU summit decisions due to Hungary's funding and Ukraine's reform requirements, EU diplomats remain hopeful that Orbán's pressure tactics are merely negotiation strategies. After the EU Commission announced the release of around ten billion euros in frozen EU funds for Hungary, Orbán should be more likely to support the start of Ukraine's EU accession talks during the EU summit in Brussels. However, Viktor Orbán's strong opposition to Ukraine's entry into the EU, due to the ongoing Attack on Ukraine by Russia, raises concerns about Hungary's alignment with the EU and its stance on the EU's response to the crisis.
Source: www.ntv.de
