All articles tagged with #eu funds
The EU will keep €18 billion in funds frozen for Hungary due to lack of progress on rule of law reforms, with ongoing concerns about democratic backsliding and civil society restrictions, despite some previous unblocking of funds. The dispute highlights tensions between Brussels and Budapest over legal and political issues, including Hungary's refusal to pay a court-imposed fine.
The European Parliament's legal affairs committee supports suing the European Commission over unfreezing 10 billion euros for Hungary, accusing the commission of caving to pressure from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The parliament believes Hungary hasn't met rule-of-law thresholds, and the lawsuit is seen as a necessary step to prevent Orban from leveraging the EU. The move aims to reprimand Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and follows concerns over Hungary's judicial independence and democratic standards. The commission's decision has sparked criticism in the parliament, with 21 billion euros of EU funds for Hungary still frozen until other issues, including corruption and LGBTQ rights, are addressed.
Poland aims to unblock over €100 billion of frozen EU funds by meeting conditions related to judicial independence. The new pro-EU government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk seeks to restore democratic standards and win back EU funds suspended over concerns of backsliding under the previous Euroskeptic government. Despite warming relations with the EU, Polish President Andrzej Duda, from the previous government, may hinder the release of funds by vetoing necessary reforms. The government hopes to receive a first tranche of recovery cash totaling €23 billion in the spring and is also working to end the Article 7 procedure opened in 2017.
Poland's minister for funds and regional policy announced that the country is set to unlock €76 billion in EU funds after meeting the necessary conditions related to the rule of law. The funds, previously frozen due to concerns over judicial independence, are expected to start arriving in Poland by the end of March or early April. The new government led by pro-EU Prime Minister Donald Tusk aims to reinstate the rule of law to access the funds, but faces challenges in passing legislation and overcoming potential vetoes from President Andrzej Duda.
The European Parliament is pushing for a probe into the European Commission's decision to release €10.2 billion in EU funds for Hungary, with the possibility of a lawsuit in the EU's top court and a motion of censure. They are also urging the Council to strip Hungary's voting rights over its rule of law deficiencies. The Parliament is expected to approve a resolution calling for these actions, and there is also discussion of introducing a motion of censure against Commission President Ursula von der Leyen if further funds are unfrozen for Hungary.
The European Commission has unfrozen €10.2 billion ($11 billion) in funds for Hungary after determining that the country has fulfilled conditions regarding the independence of its judiciary. However, additional EU funds and COVID-19 recovery aid remain blocked due to unresolved issues related to public procurement, corruption, and conflict of interest. The release of funds comes ahead of an EU summit on support for Ukraine, which Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has threatened to disrupt. Orban opposes Ukraine's EU membership and argues that the country has not done enough to combat corruption. The move to release funds has faced criticism, with some accusing the European Commission of rewarding Orban's government.
The European Commission has released €10 billion in frozen cohesion funds for Hungary, allowing the government to finance development projects across the country. The decision comes after Hungary adopted a judicial reform in May to strengthen judicial independence, but critics argue that the reform falls short of addressing rule-of-law concerns. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has threatened to veto the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine, block a special fund for Ukraine's budget, and halt military aid, raising speculation of horse-trading between Hungary and the EU. The release of funds coincides with a two-day summit of EU leaders where these issues will be discussed.
Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the far-right party Brothers of Italy, has completed her first year as Italy's first female prime minister. While some promises, such as curbing migration, have largely failed, her government has restricted NGO activities and struck a deal with Tunisia to stem migration. In terms of spending EU funds, progress has been slow due to bureaucratic inefficiencies. The government is working on supporting Italian families and encouraging new births, but has also implemented policies that discriminate against non-traditional families. Meloni's government has defended "Made in Italy" and attempted to boost Italian pride, but faced criticism for a failed tourism campaign. The promise to change Italy's constitution for the direct election of the president has not been fulfilled.
The European Commissioner for enlargement and neighbourhood, Olivér Várhelyi, has stated that Tunisia is free to return the €60 million in EU funds that were transferred earlier this week, after Tunisian President Kais Saied rejected the financial offer as "derisory" and contrary to the memorandum of understanding signed in July. The European Commission clarified that the funds were already paid to the Tunisian treasury upon the government's request, and Várhelyi openly invited Tunisia to wire back the money if it does not want it. The EU-Tunisia memorandum has faced criticism for alleged abuses against sub-Saharan migrants, and the controversy surrounding the agreement continues.
The European Commission is planning to release around €13 billion in frozen funds for Hungary in an attempt to prevent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán from vetoing EU aid for Ukraine. The Commission needs unanimous support from all 27 EU countries to update the long-term budget, which includes a €50 billion funding package for Ukraine. Hungary's support is crucial, especially with the expiration of current EU aid for Ukraine in December and the temporary removal of US military funding. Orbán has expressed concerns about Hungarian minorities in Ukraine and demands changes to a 2017 law on linguistic minorities. Releasing the frozen funds is seen as a way to persuade Orbán not to veto Ukraine's aid, but other funds remain blocked due to concerns about democratic standards, graft, treatment of asylum seekers, a controversial "child protection law," and academic independence.
Ukraine is in talks with Bulgaria to purchase two Russian-made nuclear reactors using EU funds, in order to address future power shortages. The reactors were originally intended for Bulgaria's Belene nuclear power plant project, which was abandoned due to Russia's withdrawal from the project and Bulgaria's inability to cover the costs alone. The Bulgarian government has been given 30 days to negotiate the sale of the reactors to Ukraine for €600 million. The EU Commission has announced that the potential deal could be financed with existing funds sent to Ukraine, as it would help strengthen the Ukrainian economy.