OF THE
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The EU Commission has triggered a new mechanism which could see billions of euros allocated for Hungary [be withdrawn].Budapest takes umbrage with Kiev's offensive comments and insults:
Speaking in the European parliament on Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen explained that the European Commission and the Hungarian leadership have "not been able to find common ground" on the issue of anti-corruption reforms. She added that Budapest's response to a formal notice on the matter did not leave the EU top body with any other option but to move on "to the next step." "The Commission has today told the Hungarian authorities that we will now send a formal letter to start the conditionality mechanism." She referred to the instrument adopted in late 2020 allowing the bloc to withhold aid funding from a member that is found to be failing to adhere to the union's democratic principles.
Orban's presidential victory prompted his chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, to call on the European Commission to accept "the basic rules of democracy" and "not to punish Hungarian voters for expressing an opinion not to Brussels' taste." Gulyas was apparently referring to harsh criticism of Orban's policies by the EU leadership.
EU Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn made it clear that the body planned to speed up the implementation of the mechanism. However, any suspension of funds would involve additional negotiations between the sides and a qualified majority vote in the European Council. The EU Commission will have to provide details of particular cases when rule-of-law violations directly led to the misuse of EU budget funds by Hungarian authorities, which means that the process is expected to last months.
The conditionality mechanism, along with a multi-billion recovery package, was supposed to serve as "an additional layer of protection in cases when breaches of the rule of law principles affect or risk affecting the EU financial interests."
Poland and Hungary had consistently argued that the "conditionality mechanism" was not included in any of the EU treaties. They also said the ECJ would be overstepping its powers in approving such a mechanism.
Hungary's Foreign Ministry has summoned the Ukrainian ambassador, on Wednesday, over Kiev's harsh criticism of Budapest's stance on Russia's ongoing military operation in Ukraine.A peace summit has been proposed:
Foreign Minister Peter SzijjartoIt wrote on facebook:"It is time for Ukrainian leaders to stop their insults directed at Hungary. Kiev should acknowledge the will of the Hungarian people."He reminded that Budapest had condemned the use of force by Russia, acknowledged Ukraine's sovereignty and accepted hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing the fighting.
However, the FM reiterated that Hungary wasn't a party to the conflict in Ukraine, saying that "we want to, and will, stay out of it."
Budapest, which has arguably the closest ties with Moscow among the EU capitals, has joined European sanctions imposed on Russia over its military operation in Ukraine. But it refused to send weapons to Kiev and insisted that it'll never support any curbs on Russian energy.
Ukrainian ambassador to Hungary, Lyubov Nepop, will now have to explain the words of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who claimed on Tuesday that"Orban feared Russia's influence and warned that Hungary would eventually be forced to choose between Moscow and the "other world."Kiev officials suggested that Budapest could be looking to use the fighting in Ukraine to claim the country's western Zakarpattia Region, populated by Hungarians, for itself.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday that he has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet the leaders of France, Germany and Ukraine in Budapest, urging the Russian leader to declare an immediate ceasefire.To the EU, Hungary is 'a disturbance' in 'the force'.
Orban said, as quoted by AFP, "His response was positive, but with conditions."
If there truly was an age of intellect, it was a long time ago when sharp minds discovered the Dao and in its consequence Wu Wei. Mostly Eastern philosophy. Decadence appears to be a western vice.We live in an age of "experts" - with an expert (according to a saying in my native language) is a person knowing almost everything about almost nothing.
And "expert" is a very special form of deceit.Some of the meaning might have been lost in translation ...
The EU Commission has triggered a new mechanism which could see billions of euros allocated for Hungary [be withdrawn].I assume it is not far-fetched to assume Hungary is ditching the EU and looking for another source of credit, and another economic bloc. And the Russia/China "axis of evil" would surely step in.
This is really sick. Like poking into a hornets' nest and calling the resulting attacks "unprovoked".
And Hungary deserves everything that comes at it for joining this european gaslighting union.