16/01/2024 (Agence Europe) – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said, on Tuesday 16 January, that he was in favour of providing macro-financial assistance to Ukraine, but “outside the common budget” of the European Union. “If we want to help Ukraine, which I think we need to do, we have to do it in a way that doesn’t harm the EU’s budget”, he argued, on the sidelines of a meeting in Budapest with his Slovakian counterpart, Robert Fico, according to AFP. With a view to the extraordinary European summit on Thursday 14 February, convened to approve a revision of the EU budget including multiannual macro-financial aid to Ukraine, the Commission is working on operational solutions if the EU leaders fail to reach an agreement among the EU27 (see EUROPE 13322/3). On Tuesday, the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council and the European Commission said they were working towards the implementation of Plan A, meaning aid based on the EU budget. (MB)