Europeans are spending a lot of time on Viktor Orbán at the moment. In capitals, in the Commission or the European Parliament, people are trying to persuade the Hungarian Prime Minister to lift his veto on giving Ukraine 50 billion euros of Community aid over the next four years. There is urgency, as Kiev runs out of money in March and European heads of state and government hope to reach an agreement by their next meeting in Brussels on 1.er February.
Strategies vary from one organization to another. Six months before the European elections, scheduled for June 9, MEPs are playing the balance of power while in favor of the Community Executive and Twenty-seven, for the moment, less aggressive communication.
The European Parliament is not participating in the negotiations, which are taking place between the Commission, member states and Budapest, but it wants to influence the discussions. In this context, he decided to put pressure on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, so that she would not be blackmailed by Viktor Orbán, who is always ready to monetize his support. This is the subject of a resolution, initiated by the conservatives of the EPP, the social democrats of the S&D, the liberals of Renew, the Greens and the radicals of the left, and which must be adopted in Strasbourg on Thursday 18 January.
MEPs, on December 13, 2023, criticize the Community Executive for introducing 10.2 billion euros in Community funds, of which Hungary was deprived for breaches of the rule of law. In their eyes, Budapest has not completed the reforms to ensure the independence of the Hungarian judiciary that Brussels demanded in return. If Viktor Orbán wins his case, they do justice, because he, despite his veto threats, let the Europeans announce the start of negotiations for Ukraine’s membership in the European Union (EU).
“Not a vending machine”
“In return for release of ten billion, Orbán left the room” of Council on December 14, 2023, Leaving his counterparts to decide, Belgian elected official Guy Verhofstadt (Renewal) protested in the hemicycle. Before telling Ursula von der Leyen that, if she were to repeat such a bargain, she would have “Serious problems with this European Parliament”.
“Europe is not an ATM”Launching her Italian colleague Elisabetta Gualmini (S&D), Viktor Orbán, “Friend of Putin”take “held Europe hostage at every historical turn”. In their resolution, MEPs threaten to refer the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding the Commission’s decision of December 13, 2023. “We’ll see you in court”To end his intervention, German Green launched Daniel Freund.
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