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The long-term EU budget and the reconstruction fund were saved in the last hour thanks to a unanimous summit, says the EU president. Poland and Hungary have withdrawn their veto.
With Prime Ministers Mateusz Morawiecki (Poland, left) and Viktor Orbán (Hungary) on the team, a unanimous EU summit could finally approve the new budget and reconstruction fund. Photo: Armando Franca / AP / NTB scanpix
– Now we can start implementation and rebuild the economy again. Innovative rebuild package will drive green and digital transformation, writes Charles Michel Twitter.
The budget was adopted at a summit in July, but Hungary and Poland sat on their hind legs and vetoed it this fall. They were not satisfied with a clause that stated that payments could be stopped if a member state violated the rule of law.
This clause is still included in what the 27 heads of state agreed on Thursday night, says Michels’ spokesman.
Optimistisk Orbán
Before the meeting, a German proposal slipped the two stubborn countries, and the Hungarian prime minister was optimistic when he reached the summit.
– We are very, very close to reaching a good agreement for a unified EU, said Viktor Orbán.
The result is that you must request an assessment from the Court of Justice of the European Communities before the new rule of law takes effect. This means that it will take time before the new mechanism is implemented, which some interpret as giving in to the two veto countries.
– Historical
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven disagrees. He believes that this is not a compromise, but a clarification. Löfven is satisfied with the result
– For the first time since the EU was founded, the rule of law is now linked to the payment of money. It is historic and a great success for Sweden, which has been anxious about this for many years, says Stefan Löfven in an SMS to the TT news agency.
His Finnish colleague Sanna Marin disagrees with speculations that a judicial evaluation could take several years.
– I’ll probably talk basically about months, not years, he says.
Giant package
Thursday’s deal means the budgetary framework for the next seven years is in place. In addition, the giant fund that will ensure that the economy is on its feet after the pandemic is also insured.
In total, it is about 1.8 trillion euros, about 19 billion crowns at the current exchange rate.
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