The executive of the European Union recommended on Sunday that Hungary’s funding of roughly 7.5 billion euros be suspended due to corruption. This is the first such recommendation in the 27-nation bloc under a new sanction designed to better protect the rule of law.
In response to what it claims to be the undermining of democracy in Poland and Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban subdued courts, media, NGOs, and academia while in power for more than ten years, as well as restricting the rights of migrants, gays, and women, the EU introduced the new financial sanction two years ago.
The usage and management of EU funds are at risk due to violations of the law, according to EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn. ‘We cannot draw the conclusion that the EU budget is adequately safeguarded.’
He drew attention to persistent violations of Hungary’s public procurement regulations, a lack of safeguards against conflicts of interest, ineffective prosecution, and other deficiencies in key anti-corruption efforts.
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