Another EP delegation is coming to Hungary to investigate the use of EU funds
A delegation of the Budget Control Committee of the European Parliament (EP) will visit Hungary between 15-17 May. They will investigate the use of EU funds in Hungary.
The fate of the recovery fund could depend on the visit
The purpose of the delegation is to learn about the developments of the rule of law procedure initiated due to corruption threats. In addition, they will listen to the opinions of the Hungarian authorities that control the use of EU subsidies. The objective is to examine whether Hungary will be able to properly utilise the financial resources made available through the recovery fund, writes Népszava.
Hungary will only be able to access first EUR 6.3 billion and then another EUR 5.8 billion once the country has completed a number of anti-corruption measures and partially reformed its court system.
The composition of the EP delegation is not yet final
There is no final program for the parliamentary visit yet, and the composition of the delegation has not been decided. According to unconfirmed reports, Bavarian Christian Socialist Monika Hohlmeier, the president of the parliamentary committee, may be entrusted with its leadership.
However, this is not the first time the EP delegation paid a visit to Hungary. In September 2017, they visited the Felcsút light railway, the investments of the Budapest Heart project and the locations of the Budapest metro line 4.
Minister of Justice: the EU is postponing negotiations
“The European Union must pay the funds in the near future. Hungary has fulfilled all the original conditions by the specified deadline,” said the Ministry of Justice. “We also make reasonable compromises in fulfilling the new conditions, we support those requests that had no legal basis, but did not harm Hungary’s interests. The dialogue with the European Commission is still ongoing, and we have also agreed on justice issues”, she added.
Although Hungary has fulfilled all of the 17 conditions within the agreed deadline, the EC is postponing the negotiations. Now the new delegation could decide on the fate of the recovery fund.
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