Fraud, Russia or Anti-lgbtq Stance? Why Is the European Commission Depriving Hungary of $7.5BN Funds

The European Union Commission proposed suspending 7.5 billion euros ($7.5 billion) from its budget for Hungary because of accusations of corruption and fraud.

In a statement on September 18, the European Commission suggested suspending the funding as part of its new power under its so-called conditionality mechanism. Yet, the proposal would still need to be approved by the bloc’s member states.

EU funds are given to support poor European countries to help them boost growth and employment, while operational programs surround more specific investment projects.

Brussels recommended the adoption of this punitive measure against Hungary as the next step in a legal process called the "rule of law mechanism" launched against Hungary last April.

The mechanism, approved by the European Court of Justice just weeks ago after an objection from Budapest and Poland, allows Brussels to impose financial sanctions on member states to protect the budget if they are deemed to have violated the EU's core values.

Bloomberg stressed: “Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has challenged the EU’s democratic foundation following an unprecedented power consolidation that saw him rewrite the constitution, overhaul election rules and extend his influence over the courts, media, culture, and education.”

 

Supporting Russia

Observers believe that the sanctions are entirely due to Hungary’s position on the war in Ukraine, and its reservations about condemning the Russian operation, and taking strict, solid, and decisive positions on Russia and President Vladimir Putin, especially since Hungary depends 100% on Russian oil and pays in rubles.

Amid its rejection of sanctions against Russia, Commissioner Johannes Hahn, the European Commission's budget and administration officer, said the sanctions would be up to 65% of commitments made for operational programs under the support policy, and about a third of the cohesion funds, the country received from the EU budget.

Hahn said that the decision to impose the financial fine was taken unanimously by the commissioners, during an exceptional meeting, noting that Budapest has identified 17 remedial measures since Brussels launched its legal mechanism.

He emphasized that Hungary should in principle be able to address the issues described in the notification, including systematic irregularities in the public procurement process, conflicts of interest from government officials, and weaknesses in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving EU funds.

In response to Brussels' concerns, Hungary recently announced a series of measures, including the creation of an independent body to combat corruption tasked with monitoring the use of EU funds and improving transparency in public tenders.

Relations between Hungary and its European partners have been strained since the start of the war in Ukraine, with Budapest constantly refusing to impose sanctions on Russia.

A week ago, Adviser to the Hungarian Prime Minister Balazs Orban stressed that the European Union sanctions against Russia are ridiculous, because they succeed when a major player imposes them on a small player, while Russia is an energy giant, and Europe is a dwarf, according to the Russia Today website.

The European Union has imposed sanctions for a limited period, so the political season in the fall may re-evaluate these sanctions. Orban stressed that if the EU looks at ourselves and the world at large, we will see that the sanctions have not lived up to expectations.

 

Freedom Restrictions

Bloomberg quoted the EU lawmakers saying: “The bloc’s executive had let problems in Hungary fester for too long and the lack of decisive action had contributed to the breakdown in democracy.”

The European Parliament said in its resolution: “Leaving rule of law breaches unchecked undermines democratic institutions and ultimately affects the human rights and lives of everyone in the country where those breaches are committed.”

In an interview with Al-Estiklal the expert on politics Hazem Ayyad explained: “Suddenly and without warning, the European Union discovered that Hungary was no longer a democracy, and within hours it became subject to deprivation of the 7.5 billion euros in aid provided by the European Commission to Budapest.”

He added that this is not new, as the European Commission has accused Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for nearly 10 years of dismantling democratic institutions, controlling the media, and violating (minority rights), knowing that the concept of minorities in Europe basically concerns homosexuals.

The expert Ayyad emphasized that Orban, who took office in 2010 denied the accusations stressing that Hungary, for example, did not ban the wearing of the veil in public places, as is the case in France.

The European action included the formation of an investigation and follow-up committee that demanded Hungary's political reforms whose deadline expires next November. What are the reforms that could be completed in a matter of weeks?

 

LGBTQ Propaganda

The position of Hungarian President Orban on the Ukrainian war and Hungary’s refusal to completely join the European sanctions against Russia cannot be considered the only reasons. Another important reason was revealed by the leader of the French parliamentarian from the Green Party, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, who oversaw the decision to punish Hungary.

Gwendoline explained that the president, his party, and Hungarian society as a whole reject homosexuality and consider it perverted and immoral behavior. LGBTQ practices are rejected in the legislation in the country. This is one of the reasons behind the decision of the European Union Budget Commission.

The expert Hazem Ayyad said: “Homosexuality was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Hungary, its president, and its media fought a war against homosexuality, embarrassing the whole of Europe, and went so far as to refuse to play football under the banners of homosexuality and deviation, which led to the prevention of their fans from participating in European championships.”

The expert said that the war against the anti-LGBTQ practices has reached its climax in Europe, as the European Union threatens to issue instruments of deprivation of aid and funds to anyone who opposes LGBTQ and its practices.