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Romanian Euro deputies consider unacceptable Hungarian-Polish veto in adopting EU multi-annual budget
Romanian Euro deputies in the main political groups in the European Parliament consider unacceptable the Hungarian-Polish veto in adopting the EU multi-annual budget because of conditioning the funds on observing the rule of law, saying that it is a “non negotiable”condition and that solutions can be found if we can get out of blocking through an amicable agreement.
At an online conference organized on Tuesday by the European Parliament Office in Romania, with the topic “Impact of long term EU budget on future of Europe”, several European deputies assured that final beneficiaries of EU funds will not suffer because of blocking in adopting the multi-annual budget for 2021-2027, expressing the hope that an amicable accord could be reached to lift the Hungarian-Polish veto.
“We are not talking about absurd measures, they have in view setting up instruments which should guarantee that EU resources are efficiently spent and there is no suspicion about spending them. For that states must have an independent justice. Without independent justice nobody can make progress. That is why I think our political group will be extremely exigent in defending values that lay at the basis of EU. I cannot see another approach,” said Eugen Tomac, a member of EPP group in the European Parliament.
Daniel Buda, LiberalEuropean deputy in the same political group, EPP, said he was “preoccupied but not necessarily worried”, by the stand of Hungary and Poland, in which he sees “an image game for citizens of those two states.”
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Hungary and Poland blocked the approval of the EU’s seven-year budget and the recovery fund totalling €1.81 trillion, as both countries continued to oppose the rule of law mechanism attached to the EU funds, euractiv.com reads.
The veto – which could still be overcome at the level of EU27 national leaders – further complicates the arrival of the badly needed EU funds in hard-hit countries like Spain or Italy, at a time when the pandemic continues to spread across Europe and the reinstalled restrictive measures are hampering the recovery.
The 27 EU ambassadors (Coreper) met on Monday (16 November) to approve a series of compromises reached between the European Parliament negotiators and the German presidency of the Council representing the member states.It included the multi-annual financial framework (MFF), the EU’s seven-year budget of almost 1.1 trillion, and the €750 billion recovery fund to tackle the worst recession in EU’s history caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The package also included the new rule of law mechanism, which would allow for the suspension of EU funds in case of mishandling European money or breaching EU principles.
In spite of Hungary and Poland’s opposition to the mechanism, the rule of law conditionality was approved by the required qualified majority in the Council.
In retaliation, Budapest and Warsaw blocked the MFF and the recovery fund on Monday, given that the unanimity was needed in both cases through the so-called own resources decision.
Their veto will be discussed at a meeting of EU European affairs ministers on Tuesday and then at a video-summit of EU leaders on Thursday.
A spokesperson of the Germany presidency said on Twitter the EU ambassadors had failed to reach “the necessary unanimity for initiating the written procedure due to reservations expressed by two member states.”
In addition, the own resources procedure must be completed by the ratification in all the member states, mostly through their national parliaments, which will further prolong the approval process at least until next spring. The bulk of the EU recovery funds is not expected until the second half of 2021.