Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said EU member states may negotiate their own recovery package deal without EU institutions if the debate on tying EU funds to the rule of law prevents the bloc from setting up the fund.
Speaking ahead of a summit of EU leaders, the prime minister noted that the agreement on the EU’s multiannual financial framework for the 2021-2027 financial cycle and the recovery package to offset the damage wreaked by the coronavirus pandemic had been complicated by disagreements, as certain member states wanted to tie financing to the issue of the rule of law.
PM Orbán said the Hungarian government maintains that Europe should focus on managing the coronavirus crisis for now, and the pandemic rescue package should be made available to member states in need of help as quickly as possible. “We shouldn’t slow things down with debates on the rule of law.” But if these debates should hinder the EU from launching its Next Generation recovery plan, EU member states still have the option of setting up the recovery fund outside the confines of EU institutions under an agreement of their own, he said.