Hungary blocks funds, but the EU has a plan. Money will soon flow to Poland

Pieniądze, zdjęcie ilustracyjne

High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell announced that the European Union is close to reaching an agreement on overriding the Hungarian veto regarding the European Peace Fund. This means good news for Poland.

This news was reported by the RMF FM radio station. If everything goes according to plan – and there are many indications that this will happen – Poland will recover nearly PLN 2 billion that is currently blocked by Hungary. This sum is a refund for the weapons we gave to Ukraine.

The EU has a solution

Borrell is optimistic, but he is also cautious in his statements. He indicated that the agreement on the veto override had been “almost” reached. The consent of the EU heads of foreign affairs ministries is still required. As part of the agreement, 26 countries would now voluntarily (not obligatorily) support the fund – thanks to which the Hungarian veto would no longer have any significance. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán requested from the very beginning that the obligation to transfer funds should not take into account the purpose of weapons such as rifles, and instead, Hungary wanted to support part of the fund, the funds of which were used to purchase, for example, bulletproof vests. The Vice-President of the European Commission emphasizes that he cannot promise anything for now, but “he is almost certain that an agreement will be reached among all EU countries on his proposal.”

The source reminds that Hungary’s contributions are not significant, so if they are gone, the fund will not be particularly affected. At the same time, Borrell is not afraid that the voluntary nature of payments will cause some countries to suddenly stop allocating their funds for this purpose.

Budapest’s contribution? Exceeds barely 1.2%

In an interview with Polish Radio 24, one of the EU diplomats indicated that the “contribution” to the Budapest fund “is only 1.2 percent.” Journalists from the Radio Information Agency remind us that due to Hungary’s veto (opposition), Poland has not been able to recover a refund of almost EUR 450 million (i.e. over PLN 1.93 billion) for months.

The European Peace Facility “is an instrument to help the EU prevent conflict, build and maintain peace and enhance international security.”

Similar Posts