Status: 11/30/2022 04:05 a.m
Is the EU Commission announcing today that it will cut subsidies for Hungary? In Budapest, people are demonstratively relaxed before the decision. And secretly hopes for the new allies among the EU governments.
It is about several billion euros in subsidies for Hungary, which the EU Commission has frozen because it has doubts about Hungary’s rule of law. Doubts that Hungary has been trying to refute for weeks with a 17-point plan against corruption and for more rule of law. Now the EU Commission is deciding whether they were convinced – or not.
A real crash test for the so-called rule of law mechanism. With it, the EU can withdraw funding from a member state if fundamental rights are violated. The trial against Hungary has been ongoing since April. However, the final decision rests with the heads of state and government.
Is the “Moment of Truth” Coming?
In Brussels, but above all in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, some are already showing a certain anticipation of today’s vote by the EU Commission. Now “the moment of truth” has come. Cutting European funding is the only language that Viktor Orban, Hungary’s strongman and head of government, really understands.
In the Hungarian capital, Budapest, they took note of this and reacted, as always in such cases, with a demonstratively relaxed shake of the head. In any case, the government in Budapest has no official information regarding the expected proposal from the European Commission.
It’s all just speculation, rumors spread from the commission. Hungarian Minister Tibor Navracsics, who is responsible for negotiations with the EU, finds this rather strange.
Whom Hungary pinpoints as the culprit
In front of the foreign press in Budapest, he also tried conspiracy theories to answer the critical questions while at the same time casually brushing them aside. He laments the “enormous pressure” that the EU Parliament in particular is putting on the Commission.
Navracsics means “the left-wing majority” in parliament, the “left-wing political parties” who are “very critical of the Hungarian government”. The criticism is fine, a political business. However, he hopes that the EU Commission will rate the “implementation process” of the 17-point plan, which also includes an anti-corruption task force, “as fairly good”.
end of a friendship
In a recent interview with the German-language “Budapester Zeitung”, Prime Minister Viktor Orban explained who everything belongs to the “left majority” in Hungary, thereby ending a political friendship.
From a “Hungarian perspective,” said Orban, “the CDU is now a left-wing party.” The CSU, by the way, too: “Exactly! We used to have excellent relations with the CSU.” Gone, despite the “special Hungarian-Bavarian relations,” according to Orban.
Attempted offensive
Attack is the name of the Hungarian defense strategy. It was a majority in the EU Parliament that dissented Hungary from still being a real democracy in the dispute over funding. At best, Orban considers himself an “electoral autocracy.” To which of course no EU subsidies should flow.
The Hungarian EU Minister and former EU Commissioner Navracsics considers this a “rather strange definition” of his state. As if on the side, he tries to make it clear that good talks are actually being held with the EU Commission: “The European Commission never said that Hungary is not a democracy, that is the European Parliament!”
When asked what the Hungarian government would do if the billions in funding were to flow, Navracsics tried to laugh away briefly in front of the foreign press – and then emphasized the efforts he and Hungary had made in the past few months. Hungary has made many commitments over the past six months: “We will prove to the member states that we are a transparent country.”
Can Hungary hope for Meloni?
In principle, however, Hungary’s government can calmly await the vote of the EU Commission. What ultimately matters is what a qualified majority of EU governments will decide in December. Since the right-wing government Meloni won the elections in Italy, the weight of Orban fans has increased.
In order to cut EU funding, the EU Commission needs the “yes” of at least 15 of the 27 EU member states, which must also represent at least 65 percent of the EU population.