The EP group of Fidesz MEPs said on Wednesday that Hungary needs budgetary and legal guarantees from Brussels to ensure that the country remains the sole recipient of the funding it is entitled to under the EU’s educational, research and cohesion support schemes.
In a statement, the group said, “the European Commission still owes an answer on the whereabouts of the monies yet unpaid in reconstruction and development funding to member states”. The group noted that the EC proposal requesting a contribution of an additional 75 billion euros to the current seven-year budgetary framework was still on the agenda whereas “we still don’t know how much money had been allocated to Ukraine … and how those monies had been spent”. Further, the group seeks to know “why the interest on the loan taken out by the EU has doubled” while several member states have not received a single cent in reconstruction funding, according to their statement. According to the statement, MEP Andor Deli said at the EP’s budgetary committee meeting on Wednesday that their group would submit amendment proposals to the 2024 community budget aimed “to solidify the protection” of funds Hungary is entitled. “It must be prevented that those funds earmarked for Hungary should be given to other countries or spent on different purposes.” Deli also stated the Fidesz group’s commitment towards the EU integration of Western Balkan countries. “We therefore propose increasing the pre-accession funds for the candidate countries in 2024 which would send an important message to all of their citizens,” Deli told the meeting.