EU has a plan B to bypass Hungary when deciding on financial assistance to Ukraine - Hahn
Money for Ukraine may be allocated through an intergovernmental agreement of 26 EU countries minus Hungary
EU leaders are likely to agree this week to allocate about 50 billion euros to support Ukraine, despite Hungary's threats to block the decision.
Source. This was stated by European Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn to Reuters.
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The European Union proposes to amend its budget until 2027 to include €33 billion in loans and €17 billion in grants to Ukraine to ensure the stable functioning of the Ukrainian state during this period in the face of war. Changes to the budget must be approved by the heads of government of all 27 EU countries, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban opposed them.
According to Khan, Hungary will most likely be persuaded, as the budget revision will allocate money (he mentioned the amount of 15 billion euros) for other expenses that Orban had been advocating, including border security and payments to third countries for keeping illegal migrants on their territory.
In addition, on Wednesday, the European Commission unblocked €10 billion in structural funds for Hungary after it passed laws on the independence of the judiciary.
If it is still not possible to reach an agreement with Orban, the European Commission has a "plan B" in reserve, Hahn admitted, noting that he prefers not to go into its details.
A Reuters correspondent nevertheless asked the European Commissioner whether money for Ukraine could be allocated through an intergovernmental agreement of 26 EU countries (minus Hungary), and Hahn replied: "Of course. This is one of the possibilities. But I don't believe that Hungary will be left out of the international community, not just the European community, but the international community."
The EU's decision, Hahn said, could also influence lawmakers in the United States. According to him, American diplomats talked to the EU in the spring about the bloc taking a leading role in long-term budget support for Ukraine.
Background. As a reminder, the Hungarian authorities have announced the amount for which they will agree to lift the blocking of financial aid to Ukraine. However, according to Orban, Ukraine's accession to the EU still remains a "red line" for Budapest.
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