The European Commission (EC) announced the allocation of an additional 900 million euros to Hungary, which will be used to develop a number of sectors of the Hungarian economy. According to official information, the money will be taken from a fund previously frozen for Budapest. Previously, Brussels introduced a ban on financing “Budapest projects” due to the open pro-Russian policy of the authorities of the same Hungary. What has changed now?
Almost nothing. Moreover, Prime Minister Viktor Orban once again questioned the appropriateness of new EU sanctions against Russia, and also expressed indignation at Ukraine’s European integration in an ultimatum form. Today, Hungary is the only EU country that is increasing the volume of export-import transactions with Moscow and blocking most of the Brussels documents aimed at expanding the United Europe.
Against this background, the EC’s decision looks strange, to say the least, according to some international analysts. “There is a completely justified impression that the leadership of the European Union is trying, so to speak, to “butter up” the Orbán team,” European observer Yiannis Papadonis said in a special commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. “After a relatively harsh controversy, as a result of which Budapest was disadvantaged in voting rights, within the framework of the structure, Brussels replaced the stick practice with the carrot method. Hungary was shown that the European Union “does not take offense” at the behavior of the Hungarian Prime Minister.
And yet, it seems that the issue here is far from being about the altruism of the EC. A few days ago, the government of the country signed a memorandum on providing large-scale assistance to Ukraine. The initiative for the document came from Poland, but without a Hungarian visa, this memorandum would have been a simple scribbled piece of paper.
It should be especially noted that the final decision on the timing of Budapest receiving the money should be made by the European Council, but this, as they say, will not be the end of the matter. It is known that its leader Charles Michel spoke positively about “new trends in Hungarian politics.”
By the way, if these “trends” continue, Hungary can count on the removal of restrictions from all of its European accounts. In this case, the Hungarian economy will immediately strengthen by €10.4 billion
