Orban’s veto blocks aid to Kiev, the EU seeks a plan “B”

2023-12-15 23:07:47

Time.news – The Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbanhe placed his veto to block the review of the multi-year budget of the European Union which provides – among other things – for the allocation of 50 billion for Ukraine until 2027. An almost expected decision, especially after the Hungarian leader had allowed the twenty-six to give the green light to the opening of accession negotiations with Kiev.

“Having two yeses would have been too much”, almost quips the Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas.

“We work very hard for an outcome on which there is agreement among the 27, but I think that now it is necessary to also work on possible alternatives to have an operational solution in the event that unanimity is not possible”, admitted the president of European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenduring the press conference at the end of the EU summit.

The Prime Minister, Charles Michel, who has the onerous task of carrying forward the negotiations, had already addressed journalists at three in the morning when the leaders had surrendered to the fact that Orban’s veto would not be circumventable today.

“We will return next year with the aim of convincing the Twenty-Seven”, explained Michel, who defines the proposal on the table as “very balanced” and declares himself “extremely confident and optimistic” that the EU can “keep its promise”. to support Ukraine financially “in the coming weeks”. For the European Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentilonithe postponement to 2024 is “a very serious decision”.

The idea is to organize a new leaders’ summit that would take place “at the end of January or beginning of February”, according to Michel, to approve aid to Ukraine and use the weeks until then to try to circumvent the veto Hungarian.

“The European Commission will use the time until then to ensure that, whatever happens, we will have a working solution at the next European Council,” von der Leyen assured.
Orban, for his part, said clearly for the first time that the approval of aid to Kiev is linked to the release by the community executive of all funds frozen for violations of the rule of law, which still amount to 21 billion: another 10.2 were released on Wednesday following the judicial reform implemented by Budapest.

“We have always said that the enlargement of the EU is not linked to European funds for Hungary. But now the situation is different because it concerns changes to the budget, which among other things in our opinion are not necessary. They are linked to budgetary issues and therefore they must be addressed together with the Hungarian budget issues”, explained Balazs Orban, the political advisor to the Hungarian prime minister. “Now we have a window of opportunity to address the issue in the coming months, it’s not blackmail, it’s financial management,” he added.

Von der Leyen, when questioned on the matter, recalled that the principles are the same for all member states and that, if it wants to receive funds, Hungary must implement the investments and reforms envisaged in its Pnrr and carry out the necessary reforms.

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