Yesterday, the European Parliament’s economic (ECON) and budget (BUDG) committees discussed the state of play on the disbursement of EU recovery funds with EU Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis and Paolo Gentiloni.
In her speech, Fidesz MEP Enikő Győri, who is also member of the Board of Trustees of the Friends of Hungary Foundation (publisher of Hungary Today and Ungarn Heute) pointed out, “in comparison, the disbursement of funds is still embarrassingly slow, and withholding them is a political tool of blackmail against member states with different political convictions, including Hungary.”
Enikő Győri. Photo: fidesz-eu.hu
Ms. Győri said, “in comparison, more than half of the time available has elapsed and only 36% of the recovery funds have been paid out. The delay has put planned investments at risk in several member states, and the solution could be to extend the deadline to the end of 2026.”
The Commissioners acknowledged the slowdown in payments and that procedures were too bureaucratic, but they were adamant that the deadline should not be extended.
“What is even more serious is that the recovery money has been turned into a political tool of blackmail through the conditionality mechanism. The Commission is deliberately slowing down the negotiations, blocking progress. Even the Commission President admitted that Hungary is being punished for its stance on migration and gender ideology, which has nothing to do with the proper use of EU funds. It is illegal for Brussels to block our full access to EU funds.”
Featured Image: Pixabay
