EU Holding Up Hungarian, Polish Pandemic Stimulus Funds Over 'Rule Of Law Concerns'
Concerns about safeguarding the rule of law in Hungary and Poland are delaying the European Union's approval of pandemic stimulus plans that could free up tens of billions of euros in assistance, according to a top EU official.
The lingering debates concern the primacy of EU law in the Polish case and basic EU standards in Hungary's case, as other members scrutinize the plans before they are green-lighted.
There is around $29 billion in grants and $14 billion in favorable loans at stake in the Polish plan, and around $8 billion in grants on the line for Hungary.
Both Warsaw and Budapest have lashed out at the holdup as ideologically motivated and unconstitutional.
European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said EU officials would closely watch an upcoming ruling by Poland's Constitutional Tribunal, while they identified "rule-of-law challenges" that have dragged out the approval process for Hungary.
EU officials have said in the past that their objection in Hungary's case relates to the threat of misuse of funds, but Brussels has also been sharply critical this year of perceived clientelism among media and NGOs favoring allies of national populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Hungary's government has accused Brussels of unfairly blocking the pandemic stimulus funds over a new law to restrict young people's access to information about non-heterosexual lifestyles.
Both the Polish and Hungarian plans were submitted in May but have been extended by the EU executive branch beyond their expected two-month review to seek revisions from Warsaw and Budapest.
There is around $29 billion in grants and $14 billion in favorable loans at stake in the Polish plan, and around $8 billion in grants on the line for Hungary.
Both Warsaw and Budapest have lashed out at the holdup as ideologically motivated and unconstitutional.
European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said EU officials would closely watch an upcoming ruling by Poland's Constitutional Tribunal, while they identified "rule-of-law challenges" that have dragged out the approval process for Hungary.
EU officials have said in the past that their objection in Hungary's case relates to the threat of misuse of funds, but Brussels has also been sharply critical this year of perceived clientelism among media and NGOs favoring allies of national populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Hungary's government has accused Brussels of unfairly blocking the pandemic stimulus funds over a new law to restrict young people's access to information about non-heterosexual lifestyles.
Both the Polish and Hungarian plans were submitted in May but have been extended by the EU executive branch beyond their expected two-month review to seek revisions from Warsaw and Budapest.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
