Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó | Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images

Hungary rejects ‘blackmail’ through EU funds

Foreign minister argued subjective criteria should not be used to determine how payouts are made.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó rejected the European Commission’s proposal to tie the payout of EU funds to respect for rule of law, saying it allows for “blackmail.”

“There are treaties in force in the European Union that clearly specify the rights and obligations of EU member states,” Szijjártó said Thursday, according to Reuters.

“We do not agree with any proposal that would provide the potential for blackmail of anyone with regard to the payment of EU funds that are due to be given to countries based on the treaties.”

He also argued that subjective criteria should not be introduced to determine how funds are disbursed.

Along with presenting a new long-term budget plan for the EU, the European Commission on Wednesday proposed introducing a “conditionality” mechanism, allowing Brussels to withhold or even cut off funds to countries deemed not to be respecting the rule of law.

Hungary is one of the biggest net recipients of EU money, and largely benefits from cohesion funds, which are meant to help bridge the gap between richer and poorer parts of the Continent. Such funding accounted for more than 55 percent of public investment in Hungary in 2015-2017, according to Commission figures.

Szijjártó dismissed the argument that the EU funds are a form of “humanitarian aid” given to less wealthy members of the bloc, most notably countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

“We have opened up our markets and Western European companies have pocketed enormous profits in Central European markets,” he said.

“This is not a one-way street that those in the West are being good lads and give us some EU funds. This is a two-way street and everybody must meet their commitments.”