The executive committee of the European Union proposes a legal solution that will avoid the need for Belgium to pay billions of euros if Hungary vetoes the extension of sanctions against Moscow. This is reported by UNN with reference to a publication by Politico.
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The European Commission proposes a legal solution to dispel Belgium's doubts about using 140 billion euros of frozen Russian assets as a loan to Ukraine.
The European Commission wants the 27 EU member states to agree to provide Kyiv with frozen billions of dollars at this month's European Council summit. However, Belgium is resisting this, fearing that it will find itself in a difficult situation if this money has to be returned to Russia.
It is noted that five diplomats and EU officials reported that a legal framework is currently being prepared that will prevent such a development. A full loan proposal is expected on Wednesday, December 3.
Belgium is most concerned that if Ukraine receives a loan of 140 billion euros, some pro-Russian EU state, such as Hungary or Slovakia, could veto the extension of EU sanctions against Moscow. In such a case, Belgium would be forced to immediately return the missing billions to Russia.
To satisfy Belgium, the European Commission decided to deprive individual EU countries of the possibility of lifting sanctions. This is what Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán can do now, as sanctions require a unanimous decision and must be extended every six months.
According to the publication, the commission intends to rely on Article 122 of the EU Treaty, which allows action "in a spirit of solidarity" between member states, which will allow decisions to be made by a qualified majority, depriving individual countries of the right of veto.
EU lawyers confirm that a flexible interpretation of Article 122 justifies a review of unanimity requirements. This could also reduce the frequency of votes on sanction extensions from every six months to once every three years, ensuring stability and reducing risks to financial support for Ukraine.
Time is critical: without an agreement, Ukraine will be left with a limited defense budget until April.
Otherwise, the costs will fall on EU taxpayers, while Russia's frozen billions will remain inaccessible.
The main question is whether the new legal strategy will convince the Belgian Prime Minister to allow the unblocking of funds in the Euroclear bank in Brussels.
How Europe will use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine: Media outlines options22.10.25, 19:43