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Innsbruck (OTS) – The governments of Budapest and Warsaw are showing that the EU is blocking the future budget and the Crown reconstruction fund. But the rule of law should not be a bargaining chip in Europe. It takes a powerful word.
By Christian Jentsch
In the midst of the Crown crisis, Europe is once again reaching its limits. And not even in relation to the pandemic. This time it is not about border closures and lack of solidarity between member states. This time it is about the founding of the common European home. It is about the rule of law as the cornerstone of the Union.
In protest of the fact that the disbursement of EU funds should be linked in the future to compliance with the rule of law, Hungary and Poland are vetoing the EU budget of 1.1 trillion for the next seven years and the Crown , laboriously negotiated and urgently needed. – Financial aid amounting to 750,000 million euros. The right-wing national governments of Budapest and Warsaw once again present Europe. Since a unanimous vote is necessary for the adoption of the financial package, at first glance it is in the longest branch. And so far the blackmail game has worked quite well. By the way: Poland and Hungary occupy the first two places in the ranking of the largest net recipients in the EU. The year before, Poland got around € 12 billion more from the EU budget than it had to pay, while Hungary received around € 5 billion. Since Poland joined the EU in 2004, more than 100 billion euros have entered Poland. It should be obvious that EU funds are linked to the rule of law. Anyone who objects to this has no place in the EU.
Europe can only be as strong as the 27 member states allow. One thing is clear: democracy, the rule of law, human rights and freedom of the press must not be a bargaining chip in the EU. And yet the governments of Poland and Hungary have been trying to undermine these core European values for years. Article 7 proceedings are pending against both states for violations of the rule of law. The EU Commission has been standing still for years. It is not surprising that Budapest and Warsaw are now showing their muscles in the fight against the new rule of law, already moderately formulated. They have been allowed to go too long. A clarifying word of power would have been needed a long time ago, not just vague hints. The EU can do without Hungary and Poland. But Poland and Hungary cannot do without the EU.
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