Hungary has secured another €2 billion in frozen EU funds after the European Commission claimed that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government met a number of conditions.
Hungarian news outlet Portfolio first broke the news from an EU source, although there is still no official confirmation from the European Commission.
“The Hungarian government was able to fulfill two more of the 16 thematic conditions applicable to cohesion programs; it fulfilled the items relating to frameworks aimed at education and training and gender equality. Thus, slightly more than 2 billion euros can become available from the cohesion part in addition to the already existing one,” said a source to Portfolio.
The news comes after Hungary received €10 billion in frozen funds for committing to judicial reforms.
However, the EU still holds approximately €19 billion in frozen funds, which it says it is withholding due to various rule of law violations and Hungary’s anti-immigration stance.
As Remix News reported in a video short, Orbán has responded to the blackmail attempt by the EU, saying Hungary will not change its stance on LGBT and immigration for any amount of money.
According to Portfolio, “In order to be reimbursed, member states must meet all 4 horizontal and thematic authorization conditions relevant to their programs. The conditions must be observed during the entire programming period. In the case of Hungary, there are 16 thematic licensing conditions that apply to specific areas and sectors, including education, equal opportunities and reforms related to the labor market.”
Portfolio reports that the Hungarian government succeeded in taking the appropriate steps regarding public education law, which was also a condition for the payment of teachers’ salaries.
