Statements were made on Kossuth Radio this Sunday regarding the reasons of the EU to continue witholding money. Continue reading
Two Hungarian ministers will travel to Brussels on Wednesday evening for talks with two EU commissioners, Johannes Hahn and Didier Reynders on Thursday, writes Index. The stakes of the talks are growing, and sources informing Index expect the visit to bring the two sides’ positions closer to the point where they can reach a compromise on the EU funds to which Hungary is entitled.
Minister for Regional Development Tibor Navracsics and State Secretary for EU Affairs János Bóka will hold talks in Brussels in the second half of the week, Index has learned. The visit could be a key step towards concluding the negotiations.
The latest development in the case was the Financial Times‘ report two weeks ago that Brussels could unblock some of the EU funds due to Hungary by the end of November. Although the European Commission later denied the report, Tibor Navracsics was optimistic about the developments.
The minister expects an agreement between the members of the Hungarian government’s negotiating delegation and the EU institutions’ decision-makers to be reached by the end of the year.
The politician noted that the aim was not only to receive advances from the EU funds Hungary is entitled to, but also to use them to finance projects for the new cycle. For their part, the Hungarian side would do as much as possible to answer the Commission’s questions at the end of September in as much detail as possible, he said at the time.
As for the rule of law issues, Bóka’s role is important to clarify them. On this issue, however, Navracsics said that they had been ready to settle the debate since June, after the Hungarian Parliament adopted a package of laws in May that addresses Brussels’ concerns on the rule of law.
At this stage, the EU has already accepted the Partnership Agreement for Hungary, the operational programs that will provide the framework for the use of EU funds, and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
For the time being, three operational programs are still subject to a 55 percent suspension, meaning that the remaining 45 percent may become available until a contrary notification is made, while for all other programs 100 percent of the funds could be opened up if a deal is reached.
Under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, HUF 2,300 billion (EUR 6 billion) could eventually be made available to Hungary. 48 percent of this amount could be used to fund programs that help meet climate and energy policy goals. A further 30 percent will allow the development of digital infrastructure, digital public services, and support for the digital transition of businesses.
For the operational programs, including Hungarian co-financing, HUF 14,000 billion (EUR 36 billion) is available until the end of 2027. More than HUF 4,000 billion (EUR 10 billion) of this has already been pre-approved by the European Commission for agricultural and rural development programs.
Via Index, Featured image: Pexels
