With or without Hungary's consent, the European Union will send an economic lifeline to Ukraine in the first half of 2024. European leaders pledged this Friday to continue supporting the country invaded by Russia, trying to overcome resistance from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to authorize a review of the Community budget, which, among other items, introduces new priorities Package of 50 billion euros for Ukraine includes. Early on Thursday morning, hours after his silence approved the EU's decision to start accession negotiations with Kiev, the Hungarian president refused to open the common fund for his eastern neighbor.
“We have achieved something very important and reached an agreement on 26,” said Spanish President Pedro Sánchez this Friday at a press conference in Brussels, together with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the Commission. Ursula von der Leyen. It was his last appearance as EU Council President (the rotating presidency ends on December 31st). “There are 27 of us in the European Union. And that is why I am convinced that this will be the case during the Belgian presidency [que toma el relevo de la española] Over the next six months we will count on the Prime Minister's good work [Alexander] Sánchez has predicted that Croo will reach this agreement at 27″. “I am confident and optimistic that we can support Ukraine with this budget package,” said Michel. “Whatever happens, we will have an operational solution,” announced Von der Leyen.
Leaders are already exploring various formulas to ensure Kiev gets the oxygen ball crucial to keeping the country afloat after U.S. support wanes and the White House was unable to pass a $60 billion Dollar package (55 billion euros) to implement). Ukraine will have to wait a little longer to receive the new European funds, but it has won an important political victory with the EU's decision to start accession negotiations to join the community club. An anchor that will undoubtedly also have an impact on the economy, community sources emphasize. Orbán threatened to blow up a European Council meeting that was crucial for the unity of the community club and for Ukraine, but the end result was very different.
The most popular option on the table to release this money to Ukraine continues to be the review of the EU's multiannual framework, which includes, among other items, this special fund of 50 billion euros for Kiev (33 billion in loans and 17 billion in subsidies ) includes . to control migration flows or increase the EU's competitiveness. The European Commission called for a review with around 65 billion euros of new money to be paid out by member states into common coffers to respond to a new reality that did not exist when the budget was adopted: a continent with a War that faced a pandemic and with a path towards green and digital transformation and addressing the immigration challenge. But the Twenty-Seven does not want to pay out new funds, and negotiations are currently underway on a proposal from Michel that reduces the ambition of the Community Executive's claim and leaves it at just over 22,000 million new euros (the majority goes to Ukraine), and that is quite acceptable Taking out the rest of what is necessary from other items.
26 member states agreed on this formula on Thursday. Orbán blocked it, although his counterparts tried to bring him into their field with a meeting in the early hours of the morning attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian President Giorgia Meloni, etc. The incumbent Dutch Prime Minister attended part. Mark Rutte as well as Sánchez, Von der Leyen and Michel. They failed to get him on board and Plan B was considered for the 26 members (all except Hungary) to make the funds available to Ukraine through another mechanism. However, Meloni did not believe that this option would deprive his country of the new resources necessary to deal with migration flows. Funds that Budapest could also seek.
Unlocked funds
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“We have other options to help Ukraine, but we have not given up the goal of finding a solution here,” emphasized Scholz on Friday. The German played a leading role in convincing Orbán to lift his veto on accession negotiations. Macron has said he hopes the Hungarian ultra-conservative will behave like a European and not hold the political process hostage in the coming months.
The Hungarian leader has opted for a policy of order. To give the green light to the budget review and Ukraine package, he demands that the European Commission release all funds it has withheld due to its rule of law violations. On Thursday, at an odd moment, Brussels released 10.2 billion euros, asserting that it had met the conditions to reverse some of its authoritarian drift with judicial reforms, but keeping 21 billion euros for other violations.
The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, in Brussels this Friday. JOHANNA GERON (Portal)
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