The European Commission's first-of-its kind move could deepen the stand-off between Brussels and Budapest.
BRUSSELS — The European Commission on Sunday proposed the suspension of billions of dollars in funding for Hungary over concerns about corruption, a first-of-its kind move that could deepen the standoff between Brussels and Budapest — if it goes ahead.The commission will ask European Union countries to approve the suspension of 65 percent of funding from three programs, amounting to roughly $7.5 billion, according to E.U. officials.
This is the first time the E.U. is using a new measure aimed at protecting its budget by making funding conditional on certain standards. “Today’s decision is a clear demonstration of the Commission’s resolve to protect the E.U.
E.U. member states will have a month to decide whether or not to proceed, with the possibility of extending by two months, according to the commission. An E.U. official on Wednesday suggested the extension is likely. A qualified majority is required to move forward. The move comes just days after the European Parliament declared the country has become “a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy” under the current government — and after years of acrimony between the E.U. and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government.Orban, a self-styled “illiberal democrat" who has been in power since 2010, has a long history of clashing with Brussels over where Hungary — and where the bloc itself — is headed.
Each step has been greeted with fear and frustration in Brussels, where many officials worry that the erosion of Hungarian democracy undermines the values and unity of the 27-member bloc.In 2018, the European Parliament voted to trigger a rule of law probe against Budapest over what it described as “a clear risk of a serious breach” of the democratic principles underpinning the bloc.
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