New projects on the horizon: EU funds arrive in Hungary

Hungary has been “at war” with the European Union over EU funds in the past months. However, this time, it is not the RRF funds that are in focus. The European Commission has approved funding for 151 new projects under the Technical Support Instrument (TSI). Hungary will receive money for five EU programmes.

“The Technical Support Instrument (TSI) is the EU programme that provides tailor-made technical expertise to EU Member States to design and implement reforms. The support is demand driven and does not require co-financing from Member States,” europa.eu, the official website of the European Commission, clears.

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Projects that support the reforms of the Member States

The procedure is that member states wishing to receive the EU funds submit an application to the European Commission by 31 October. This happens through a national coordinating authority. Afterwards, Brussels administers the grants directly, Portfolio reports.

The projects supported respond to the need for reform expressed by Member States. However, they are also aligned with the EU’s priorities for modern and efficient public administrations, sustainable growth strategies and resilient economies. The total budget for the period 2021-2027 is EUR 864 million. Of this, Member States will share proportionately.

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What are the new projects about?

This year, the TSI will also strengthen cooperation between Member States. It will do so through a larger number of multi-country projects than ever before. 33 multi-country reform projects and 10 multi-regional projects are in the making.

The 2023 TSI projects will continue to support Member States in achieving a green and digital switchover. 32 percent of this year’s TSI projects will focus on implementing the objectives of the Green Deal. Meanwhile, 40 percent will focus on digital switchover and innovation, the European Commission writes in its statement.

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Against all odds, Hungary receives EU funds

Although the EU has stopped paying Hungarian grants, the country has so far received funding for 35 projects from the TSI. The reason is that the TSI is independent of the seven-year budget. In the last three years, projects have been funded in abundance: 11 projects were eligible in 2021, 7 last year and 5 this year, according to the Commission’s assessment, Portfolio adds.

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Source: europa.eu, portfolio.hu, ec.europa.eu