The European Commission recommended on Wednesday that a total of roughly €13 billion (roughly $13.5 billion) in funds for Hungary be withheld, at least in the short term.
The EU executive said that Budapest was still falling short of its commitments with regards to upholding the rule of law.
However, the Commission also approved Hungary’s application for COVID pandemic recovery funds from the EU, saying they could only be dispersed once promised reforms were complete. The deadline to approve this was fast approaching, and Hungary stood to lose much of the financing otherwise.
What did the European Commission say?
“We are today giving our positive assessment to Hungary’s comprehensive … recovery plan. Regarding the rule of law, Hungary has committed to significant reforms. Only…