Hungary’s Orban says funds to Ukraine must not come from EU budget

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Thursday (December 21) allocating 50 billion euros to Ukraine from within the EU budget over five years is a “bad decision.“ Speaking at a press conference, Orban highlighted Hungary’s proposal to provide assistance outside the EU budget via a joint loan, but would not approve the use of existing funds. “Hungary is being blackmailed in Brussels“, the Prime Minister said. Orban has faced increasing isolation within the EU for his position on the war, and allegations that his government has systematically rolled back Hungary’s democratic checks and balances during his 13 years in power. The bloc has withheld billions in funding because of concerns over corruption and judicial independence, though last week it granted Hungary access to 10.2 billion euros ($11 billion) to reim-burse spending on approved projects after the government undertook judicial reforms. EU leaders plan to revisit the issue at an emergency summit on February 1. Editor: Zou __________________ ShanghaiEye focuses on producing top-quality contents. Nobody knows SHANGHAI better than us. Please subscribe to us ☻☻☻ __________________ For more stories, please click ■ What’s up today in Shanghai, the most updated news of the city ■ Amazing Shanghai, exploring the unknown corners of the city, learning the people, food and stories behind them ■ What Chinese people’s lives are like during the post COVID-19 period ■ Views of foreign scholars on China and its affairs ■ Foreign faces in Shanghai, people living in this city sharing their true feelings ■ Mini-docs showing why China is the country it is today __________________ ☎Leave us messages if you have any suggestions or questions! Thank you!