The announcement was greeted with applause in the European Parliament, two days after a fourth election victory in a row for sovereigntist leader Viktor Orban in Hungary.
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The European Commission has decided to launch an unprecedented procedure against Hungary to suspend the payment of European funds in the event of violations of the rule of law, announced the president of this institution, Ursula von der Leyen, Tuesday, April 5.
The announcement was greeted with applause in the European Parliament, two days after a fourth election victory in a row for sovereigntist leader Viktor Orban in Hungary.
European Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn “spoke today (Tuesday) with the Hungarian authorities and informed them that we will now send the letter of formal notice to activate the mechanism. This triggers a procedure with precise deadlines”Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament.
She did not specify what the contents of this letter were. But in a previous letter sent to Budapest in November, the Commission expressed concerns about problems with public procurement, conflicts of interest and corruption.
The issue of corruption is also the reason for the Commission’s blocking of the Hungarian recovery plan.
The “conditionality” mechanism is a procedure in force since January 2021, but never used yet, making it possible to suspend the payment of European funds to a country where violations of the rule of law affecting EU finances are observed. .