Századvég: Hungarian people expect Brussels to fully disburse EU funds instead of new obstacles

According to the most recent Századvég poll, six out of ten Hungarians think that Brussels should try to reach an amicable agreement and that it has no right to withhold, even partially, the payment of EU funds to specific member states, including Hungary.

Given the suffering brought on by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the erroneous Brussels sanctions policy, these discriminative measures against specific member states and the simultaneous disregard for the legitimate (financial) interests of the nation in question do not sit well with citizens.

It is significant to note that the equality of its member nations and respect for this requirement has been one of the core principles of the European Union since its founding, so this politically motivated “punishment” fundamentally threatens the unity and effective functioning of the European Union.

The results of this recent Századvég survey indicate that 60 percent of respondents think the European Union is a grouping of equal and free nations, thus Brussels shouldn't have the authority to withhold any or all the financial aid owed to member states; instead, it should look for a middle ground.

Prior to the current agreement, the European left was so blatantly overzealous in trying to negatively influence the outcome of negotiations between Hungary and the Commission that six out of ten respondents believed Brussels is merely trying to set an example by punishing Hungary rather than attempting to come to an agreement or compromise on these funds.

No wonder that this petty façade of righteousness and the crusade against national sovereignty by the left has resulted in 74 percent of the Hungarian people opposing the freeze on funds the country is entitled to.

The Hungarian government has been more than cooperative and open to criticism during the entire ordeal. We have accepted and started planning to achieve the European Commission’s requirements.

Because we Hungarians firmly believe that only via cooperation and compromise can the European community achieve success in its relations with the EU institutions and individual member states.