Without the RRF funds Hungary is lost? Convincing the EU seems hard
Over the recent period, Hungary has made “important progress” towards reaching an agreement with the European Commission, Justice Minister Judit Varga said on Thursday. Meanwhile, GRECO, the Council of Europe’s body of experts on corruption, said in an interim report released on Thursday that Hungary has satisfactorily implemented several recommendations put forward earlier. However, it is still the greatest question whether Hungary could get the billions of euros of the so-called RRF fund before it is too late.
A lot of money at stake
A Hungarian journalist, János Reichert, shared a post on Facebook claiming, based on unnamed but independent sources, that the Hungarian government tried to get money from the International Monetary Fund. However, Orbán’s administration was rejected. He added that Hungary could only get financial support from the IMF if both PM Orbán and finance minister Varga resigned. Another solution could be the European Union and its Recovery and Resilience Facility, in which billions of euros wait for Hungary.
To cut a long story short, the European Commission does not want to pay a cent until the government convinces them that the money will not flow to Fidesz-close oligarchs. That is why Justice Minister Judit Varga is currently in Western Europe, having negotiations with several top European Commission officials.
On Thursday evening, the minister said on Facebook that over the last two days she had held intensive discussions with European Commission representatives. “We have consulted on specific issues and concrete commitments,” Varga said. It was agreed, she added, that the efficient and transparent use of EU funds is a common interest, for which Hungary is “ready to provide far-reaching guarantees”.Â
“Committed to mutually respectful dialogue”
“The Hungarian government is committed to mutually respectful dialogue and is working to ensure that Hungary and the Hungarian people have access to the resources they deserve,” she said.
Earlier that day she said that Europe’s success in future hinges on proper foresight and careful planning. Varga said that together with Maros Sefcovic, Commissioner for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight, they reviewed key current challenges facing the EU.
Read alsoWithout the RRF funds Hungary is lost? Convincing the EU seems hard
She added that enjoys good longstanding professional relations with Sefcovic, and she expressed thanks to the commissioner for “productive professional discussions”.
Meanwhile, Varga said the Hungarian government remained open to constructive dialogue with the European Commission.
She said on Facebook that she had also confirmed this during consultations with European Commissioner for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova. The government has submitted a comprehensive package of measures in a letter sent to the EC, with the aim of addressing all of the commission’s concerns, she added. Varga said it was a common goal that Hungary and the Hungarian people should get access to the resources they are eligible for.
Source: MTI, DNH