The fact that Hungary is to receive over 100 billion forints worth of European Union resources as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war shows Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s “significant influence” and the effectiveness of Hungarian interest representation, the prime minister’s chief of staff said on Friday.
Gulyás told public media at the opening event of Somlo castle after renovation that Orbán had achieved considerable success in Brussels because, in addition to the EU resources due to Hungary, the country will receive 300 million euros towards the costs of looking after refugees from Ukraine.
This sum of more than 100 billion forints can be freely used to cover the costs incurred as a result of the war, he said. It will be of great help in avoiding Hungarians paying the cost of war, he added.
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Gulyás said that hardly more than a week after Orbán’s letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen,
the extra 100 billion forints has been made available.
“Taking a resolute stand has had a successful outcome in Brussels”, while Orbán’s being the longest-serving leader within the EU body of heads of state and government carries great weight, he added.
Gulyás said that contrary to claims by the left wing, Hungary’s talks on the current EU budget were progressing “in line with a completely normal schedule” and the partnership agreement would be signed within the next few weeks or months. He also said that Hungary had drawn the
largest proportion of EU resources in the previous budget term.
Meanwhile, opposition Democratic Coalition MEP Klára Dobrev has accused Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of “lying” via a statement issued by his press chief that the EU had started to release funding for Hungary.
Dobrev told an online press briefing on Friday that
the government was not receiving “a single cent” of thousands of billions of forints from cohesion funds, operational programmes, or recovery funds and the low-cost loan linked to them.
She said the EU had forwarded money for the purpose of “making life easier for the many millions who have fled Ukraine”. This funding is for taking care of refugees and related health, education and accommodation provision, she added.
Dobrev said Hungary had not received EU money “for months because EU taxpayers are sick of having their money stolen”.
The MEP insisted that the EU funds would be unlocked “as soon as there is a change of government”. She said a government run by the current opposition would introduce strong anti-corruption measures and Hungary would join the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
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Source: MTI
1 Comment
Dobrev is correct. The refugee relief funds should not be conflated with the bulk of the money which is still being withheld until such time as the government makes its past contracts open for inspection to ensure that other EU member states’ taxpayer’s money is being used as intended and not as a means to enrich members of the government and their cronies.