The European Commission has approved plans under the SAFE program for rearmament for the Czech Republic and France, which means that Hungary is currently the last country whose SAFE plan has not been approved by the European Commission, RMF24 reports, writes UNN.
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As RMF FM unofficially learned, "it is known that the Hungarian plan (worth approximately 16 billion euros) has been placed in the 'EU freezer'."
This confirms information released in February that Budapest will be waiting for funds, the publication notes.
Officially, the European Commission assures that "the assessment is ongoing, and the Commission will approve the plan for Hungary when it is ready." "However, it is unofficially known that the matter boils down to Hungary blocking an EU loan to Ukraine of 90 billion euros," the publication states.
"It is difficult for the European Commission to agree to billions of euros for Viktor Orbán when he violates the principle of 'loyal cooperation' and blocks money for a country at war with Russia," an EU diplomat explained to RMF FM.
RMF FM learned of signals that the European Commission intends to wait until the parliamentary elections in Hungary (the opposition Tisza party has good chances of winning) early next month.
Reportedly, the last straw was Orbán's position, which confirmed his veto on the loan to Ukraine at the EU summit last Thursday. According to RMF FM, Hungary is very interested in SAFE funds, demanding over a billion euros more than allocated to it by the European Commission.
The EU SAFE program provides 150 billion euros in support, including low-interest loans, mainly for the purchase of military equipment, especially that produced in Europe.
"Orbán's 'list of sins' mentioned in Brussels is longer than just blocking the loan to Ukraine. It also includes blocking the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, Hungary's blocking of reimbursement for rearming Ukraine (Poland expects reimbursement of 2 billion zlotys), and concerns about tender irregularities. Brussels also has serious concerns about the lack of action against corruption in Hungary," the publication indicates.
EU SAFE program sparks political dispute in Poland - Politico12.02.26, 19:41