Hungary Stands By EU Budget Veto As Poland Shifts
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published December 04, 2020 | 04:45 PM
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday that he would continue to block the EU's budget and coronavirus recovery fund over rule-of-law criteria, although his veto ally Poland signalled a possible compromise
Budapest (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Dec, 2020 ) :Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday that he would continue to block the EU's budget and coronavirus recovery fund over rule-of-law criteria, although his veto ally Poland signalled a possible compromise.
Budapest and Warsaw last month vetoed the EU's 1.8-trillion-euro ($2.1-trillion) budget and coronavirus rescue package over its tying of funds to respect for the rule of law.
Both governments are accused by Brussels of rolling back democratic freedoms, notably judicial independence in Poland and press freedom in Hungary.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Gowin said late Thursday that Warsaw could yield if a document is attached to the rule-of-law regulation to clarify how the criteria are applied.
Orban dismissed the idea and insisted Warsaw and Budapest have agreed to hold out on separating the funds from any rule-of-law conditionality.
"For us such a solution... that some kind of statement is attached to it, like some kind of reminder note pinned to a cardboard placard, will not work," Orban said during a public media radio interview.
He added that "the Poles cannot back out of the veto" after signing a deal with Hungary last week.
At their Budapest meeting, Orban and Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki proposed decoupling EU payments from the row over the rule of law.
But Gowin said that Poland now wants certainty that the link between money and the rule of law only applies to issues related to transparent and fair use of EU funds.
A "binding interpretive declaration" from Brussels on the rule of law conditions could be enough to clinch a compromise, he told Polish media.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 25 April 2024
Mired in crisis, Boeing reports another loss
Session Awarding Ceremony 2024 held at Cadet College Muzaffarabad
Austrian ski great Hirscher to make comeback under Dutch flag
Pakistan, Japan agrees to convene 'Economic Policy Dialogue'
FM Dar conveys deepest sympathy on torrential rains devastation in UAE
Spain PM Sanchez says weighing resignation after wife's graft probe
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 1st update
Long-lost Klimt portrait auctioned off for 30 mn euros
Osaka seals first win on clay since 2022 in Madrid
Earthquake jolts Karachi
Sindh minister orders operation after attack on police in Ghotki
More Stories From World
-
Star Dudamel brings inclusive vision to New York Philharmonic
2 minutes ago -
Paris dream of swimming in the Seine finally within reach
32 minutes ago -
Portugal's Carnation Revolution, 50 years on
32 minutes ago -
Tough times for Argentine factories as consumers penny-pinch
42 minutes ago -
Use of alcohol and e-cigarettes among youth 'alarming': WHO
42 minutes ago -
Football: Italian Cup result
52 minutes ago
-
Bird flu in humans? Experts see little risk
52 minutes ago -
Car giants vie for EV crown at Beijing's Auto China show
1 hour ago -
Meta profits soar but costs of AI cause worry
1 hour ago -
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - collated
1 hour ago -
Football: French Ligue 1 results - collated
1 hour ago -
Meta sees profits soar in first quarter
1 hour ago