EU leaders had to devise ways to stop Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban from weakening Brussels' support for Kiev, officials and diplomats said, after the Hungarian leader vetoed a four-year, €50 billion financial aid package for Ukraine. Even a punishment procedure under Article 7 of the EU Treaty for violations of the rule of law, which could lead to the suspension of voting rights, the Financial Times wrote, reports UNN.
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A day before EU leaders met in Brussels, the European Commission agreed to hand over €10 billion in frozen funds to Hungary, arguing that it had implemented reforms that strengthened the independence of the judiciary. EU officials said the concession was based on merit, but the timing was good.
Orban and his allies have repeatedly said his opposition to aid to Ukraine is unrelated to EU funding for Hungary. But as the summit drew to a close on Friday, he finally named his price: repayment of the remaining 20 billion euros in funds.
"This is a great opportunity for Hungary to make it clear that it should get what it deserves," Orban told Hungarian public radio. - Not half or a quarter, but the whole thing. We demand fair treatment, and now we have a good chance to achieve it."
The Hungarian leader also noted that he still has 75 opportunities to block Ukraine's accession process, as each stage requires unanimous approval of the EU members. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Hungary will assume the six-month rotating presidency of the bloc in July, which is another potential source of leverage, the newspaper said.
However, any further disbursement of funds is likely to meet stiff resistance, the FT notes.
"Some officials are considering reactivating the so-called Article 7 penalty procedure for rule of law violations, which could lead to the suspension of voting rights," the piece says.
It can be blocked by another member state, but a change of government in Poland means Hungary no longer has a guaranteed protector, the publication notes. Nevertheless, as indicated, many countries are nervous about using what is essentially the EU's biggest weapon against a member state.
Instead, officials said, the priority is to persuade Orban to back down on the funding issue by clearly explaining what they called the "full cost" of his isolation.
If that fails, the 26 other EU members will be able to strike an agreement on their own, although this will take time and offer only a short-term solution.
"Maybe Hungary can create more problems," said a senior EU official who attended the summit. - Maybe Hungary can force us to use several different instruments. But at the end of the day, Hungary won't be able to stop us from providing money to Ukraine."
"He is not a puppet of Putin, as some might think," the official added. - A lot of people do."