The EU has denied aid to Hungary, citing the country’s corruption and deficiencies in the independence of its legal system and media. The EU started the rule of law process against Hungary in the spring.
The Hungarian government promises to change its controversial legislation in order to continue receiving subsidies from the European Union.
The prime minister told about it Viktor Orban undersecretary Gergely Gulyas.
In the spring, the EU started the so-called rule of law process against Hungary for the first time, after warning Hungary about this for years.
The EU also froze Hungary’s share of Europe-wide corona stimulus subsidies, i.e. around six billion euros.
The decision was justified by the fact that Hungary’s rampant corruption, its legal system subordinated to the ruling party Fidesz, the shortcomings of the electoral system, and the definition of talking about homosexuality as propaganda in schools and the media are all against EU values and agreements.
In July, Orban added water to the mill by criticizing the EU’s immigration policy and expressing his hope that Hungary would not become a “mixed-race nation” through immigration.
The EU has also justified the freezing of subsidies by the fact that the use of EU funds in Hungary is not monitored closely enough, and the public procurements financed with them are not carried out transparently.
Orba’s rise to power in Hungary in 2010 and has since then systematically concentrated power for himself by reducing the independence of the country’s media, judiciary and schools.
Orban has also appointed his own supporters to important roles in the Hungarian Prosecutor’s Office and to oversee the activities of the media.
Hungary’s constituencies have been redefined according to the support lines of Orban’s Fidesz party.
On the other hand, Hungary is dependent on EU subsidies. In the years 2014–2022, it received EU subsidies 31 billion euros more than what the country paid to the EU.