EU maintains freeze on Hungary’s €18 billion in funds

According to the new Rule of Law Report published by the European Commission on Tuesday, Hungary has made “no progress” on 7 out of 8 recommendations presented last year.

Due to Hungary’s failure to address concerns related to democratic backsliding — such as reforming lobbying rules, tackling high-level corruption, and strengthening the independence of public media — the €18 billion in cohesion and recovery funds frozen by Brussels still appear unlikely to be released.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accuses the European Commission of “financial blackmail” and interfering in the country’s domestic affairs.

Source: Euronews