Information
Billions of euros in European Union funds that were previously frozen are now flowing to Hungary again. This happened after the country reformed its judicial system in a way that satisfied Brussels. However, there are still billions more euros that remain blocked, due to alleged violations of LGBTQ+ and migrant rights, as well as concerns about academic freedom. Many EU lawmakers are unhappy about this and have threatened to take legal action against the EU’s executive. The timing of the European Commission’s decision to release the funds raised suspicion, as it happened just before a crucial summit where EU states were seeking to get Hungary on board with plans to open membership talks with Ukraine and provide the country with long-term financial aid. Eventually, Hungary allowed progress on Ukraine’s membership aspirations by leaving the room when the issue came to a vote. However, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government is still blocking an agreement on long-term aid. Orban has taken a different stance from the EU over the past year by criticizing the EU’s moves to sanction Russia. He has also called for Ukrainians to agree to a ceasefire in the war with Russia. Furthermore, he was photographed shaking hands with the Russian president last year, which drew criticism from some EU counterparts.
Source: DW, Politico, ABC News
Assessment
Hungary has long used its veto in the European Union to blackmail the bloc into providing it funds while continuing with its support of Russia and anti-EU policies. Regardless of Hungary letting the talks with Ukraine continue, they will highly likely block them again at the next step to try to leverage the EU for more money. In the end it appears unlikely that Hungary under the leadership of Orban will actually allow Ukriane to enter the EU, due to the influence of Russia in the country.
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