The European Union plans to carry a rare assembly on Feb. 1 to guage its multi-annual price range, together with Ukraine funding, the bloc’s president Charles Michel mentioned Monday.
“We understood on Thursday and Friday that a bit more time is needed with Hungary in order to make a decision by unanimity, which is needed for an agreement on the MFF (Multi-annual Financial Framework) review,” Michel mentioned at a joint news convention with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
Michel mentioned that, in addition to funding for Ukraine, the 27-nation EU additionally had proposals to supply extra monetary help to handle migration, to cowl pure disasters and for safety and protection.
Belgium will take over the six-month rotating presidency of the EU from Spain on Jan. 1.
EU leaders agreed final week to open membership talks with Ukraine, however they might not agree on a 50 billion euro ($54.6 billion) package deal of monetary assist for Kyiv on account of opposition from Hungary.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen mentioned on Friday that she believes a approach out of the EU price range dispute with Hungary is feasible with out settlement from Budapest.
Hungary used its veto throughout an EU summit in Brussels to stop a deal on funding for Ukraine, in addition to on the EU’s general price range.
“We are working very hard, of course, to have a result where there is an agreement of 27 member states,” von der Leyen mentioned.
“But I think it is now also necessary to work on potential alternatives to have an operational solution in case that an agreement by 27 so unanimity is not possible,” she mentioned after a two-day summit in Brussels.
Orbán for his half has linked the EU price range negotiations – together with new assist for Ukraine amounting to 50 billion euros ($54.72 billion) – with the disbursement of frozen EU funds for his nation.
“The fact that they want to change the (European) Union’s seven-year budget law is an excellent chance for Hungary to get the rest of the withheld funds,” Orbán mentioned in an interview with Hungary’s state tv and radio in Brussels on Friday.
“We have to get not half, not a quarter, but all of it,” Orbán mentioned. “We are entitled to this money.”
Around 21 euros billion in EU funds for Hungary is at present nonetheless frozen. The European Commission launched 10 billion euros of the blocked sum sooner or later earlier than the EU summit on the grounds that Hungary had applied the judicial reforms required for this.
Members of the European Parliament had criticized the choice as unjustified and accused the European Commission headed by von der Leyen of permitting itself to be blackmailed.
Orbán additionally identified on Friday that no resolution had but been made concerning Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
Hungary nonetheless has “75 opportunities to stop this process,” he mentioned. Like all nationwide parliaments, Hungary would additionally need to ratify Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
“If we don’t want Ukraine to become a member of the European Union, then the Hungarian parliament will vote against it,” mentioned Orbán.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
