According to the European Commission, Hungary has failed to correctly implement all the requirements.Continue reading
The adoption of the Hungarian recovery plan after a year and a half is a major step forward, the minister in charge of the negotiations reacted to the European Commission’s decision on Hungary’s EU funds.
Minister of Regional Development Tibor Navracsics considers it a significant step forward that the European Commission has finally recommended for the Hungarian plan for adoption in order to allow the mobilization of EU funds to help economic recovery from the coronavirus epidemic.
On Wednesday, the European Commission recommended that 7.5 billion euros of EU funds should continue to be withheld from Hungary over “rule of law concerns.” Meanwhile, the Brussels body endorsed Hungary’s 5.8 billion euros post-COVID recovery plan, but demands Budapest to attain 27 so-called “super milestones” in order to secure the funds.
Speaking at the weekly Government Info press conference, Navracsics said that the Commission’s decision did not come as a big surprise to the Hungarian government, as the Brussels body had “communicated its position to us through journalists” more than a week before. He noted that this position was broadly the same as the one presented by the committee in September.
Navracsics pointed out that the Commission had rated the Hungarian plan among the best, with the highest marks in all but one category.
The minister expressed confidence that the Commission’s decision on cohesion funds will open the way for the final round of negotiations and the possibility of concluding the negotiations. He said that if this happens, the target set in the summer will be met: an agreement with the commission in six months on both major areas will allow EU funds to be effectively released from 2023.
Navracsics was confident that Hungary will deliver on the remaining commitments as accurately and thoroughly as it has done so far. He said he hoped that in 2023, they would be able to convince the Commission and the European Council that the suspension should not be maintained and that Hungary would be allowed to have 100 percent access to EU funds in all operational programs.
Featured photo via MTI/Szigetváry Zsolt