Gergely Gulyás, Head of the Prime Minister's Office, has revealed that Hungary will be among the first countries of the European Union to submit their post-pandemic recovery plans to the European Commission.
According to MTI, Gulyás said that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had met Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the commission, to discuss issues around the future of the EU and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, among other topics. Under the RRF, Hungary should get grants totalling HUF 2,511 billion (EUR 6.9bn), and access to loans of a combined HUF 3,384 billion.
Gulyás said that Hungary’s preparations for its recovery plan were in an advanced stage and the plan would be submitted early. He quoted PM Orbán as saying that the plan was targeting RRF grants rather than loans. He said that the loans were available until the end of 2023, and the government would consider that option for certain projects if necessary, but added that the government wanted to restart the economy with the lowest possible foreign debt ratio.
Finally, citing information from von der Leyen, Gulyás said that the commission would evaluate reconstruction plans in two months’ time, and pass an early decision concerning the applications.