Commission mustn't help Orban turn Hungary into an irreversible "swamp of corruption

Any deal between the European Commission and the Hungarian Government on measures that would allow the release of billions of EU funds, including the Recovery Fund, despite Orbán’s consistent trashing of the rule of law and insufficient promised reforms will not be accepted by the European Parliament, Renew Europe repeats today.

No funds shall be unblocked before a meaningful, verifiable restoration of the rule of law is demonstrated. The steps taken this far by the Hungarian Government to address the deterioration of the rule of law and corruption are far from enough, and long-term monitoring is needed before any decision can be taken. Meanwhile, Renew Europe wants to pass the suspended EU funds directly to civil society to ensure that Hungarian citizens are not punished for the corrupt actions of Prime Minister Orbán.

This is the message today sent by Moritz Körner (Freie Demokratische Partei, Germany), Renew Europe’s negotiator on the Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism regulation in the Committee on Budgets:

“By prematurely releasing the EU funds to the Hungarian Government, the European Commission would lose its credibility, throw away years of fighting for the rule of law and fail the citizens of Hungary. It could irreversibly turn Hungary into a swamp of corruption.”