The Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, will hold talks with his Polish counterpart, Mateusz Morawiecki, in Budapest on Thursday 26 November in order to coordinate the position of the two countries, which are blocking a consensus on the 2021-2027 multiannual budget and the Economic Recovery Plan (see EUROPE 12605/1).
Both countries refuse to agree to the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the European Recovery Plan out of protest against the agreement on a mechanism to suspend EU funds in case of violations of the Rule of law (independent judiciary, anti-corruption policy, etc.)
The Hungarian Prime Minister calls for objective criteria and the possibility of legal recourse.
In its analysis of the Commission’s proposal, the EU Council Legal Service considers that the reference to the Rule of law as a condition for triggering the proposed mechanism “is neither necessary nor sufficient to establish a link with the sound implementation of the budget” of the EU.
“A genuine conditionality mechanism cannot be based on the presumption that a risk for the EU budget necessarily exists once certain deficiencies are qualified as generalised”, explains the opinion of the Legal Service, as seen by EUROPE.
To consult the opinion of the Legal Service of the Council of the EU: https://bit.ly/367e6cl (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)