Minister Tibor Navracsics wants to conclude negotiations by the end of Autumn
According to a report in the EU Observer, the EU Commission said on August 30 that they aim to come to an agreement with Hungary regarding the release of EU pandemic recovery funds “as fast as possible.”
Eric Mamer, the Commission’s spokesman, also refused to comment on reports published in the Hungarian opposition media claiming that the government of Viktor Orbán has already started allocating these funds.
“While we made progress on a number of issues over the last months, there are still a number of points that remain open, including anti-corruption, and also very importantly, adequate audit and control arrangements as well as education measures,” another commission spokesperson added. “We are working to conclude our assessment as fast as possible,” he added.
Hungary has shown willingness to introduce tougher legal measures in order to prevent a possible misuse of European funds, and to keep better track of these finances, which the government in Budapest hopes will lead to an agreement with the Commission regarding the release of EUR 5.8 bn in recovery funds.
Minister for Regional Development Tibor Navracsics, who is leading the negotiations on behalf of the Hungarian government, said in an interview with the ATV news channel that the issues related to the EU reconstruction fund could be settled sometime in the second half of the autumn, or even this year. If we can reach an agreement this year, there will be no losses, and a total of around 20 billion forints could be received in the coming years, he added.
Featured Photo: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd