The Parliament of the European Union might sue the Commission for releasing funds that were already frozen to Hungary.
Yesterday, lawmakers of the EU reached an agreement to vote on a resolution regarding the matter, saying that the Commission’s decision to release about €10.2 billion of frozen funds to Hungary needs to be met with legal action.
The Commission unblocked around €10.2 billion for Hungary in December of last year, letting the country use the money, while the EU had frozen around €30 billion in funds in 2022 due to concerns related to the rule of law.
Today, the legislators will have a meeting in which EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will also be present. The lawmakers said that during the meeting, they would challenge the Commission’s unfreezing of the amount.
Daniel Freund, a Green Member of the EU Parliament, said that the December deal with the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, was not based on actual reforms in Hungary, while at the same time stressing that negotiators will take the necessary steps for a lawsuit.
European Parliament negotiators agree to take necessary steps for a lawsuit against the EU Commission. We will challenge the unfreezing of 10 billion Euros of EU funds for Hungary. The December deal with Orban was dirty – not based on actual reform efforts in HU.
On the resolution of the situation in Hungary and frozen EU funds, the Parliament reiterated its call on the Commission to use the tools at its disposal to address the risk of the breach by Hungary.
The Parliament further recalled that the authority may use legal as well as political measures on the matter to ensure that all the rules are being implemented as agreed.
The European Parliament recalls the possibility for Parliament to use any of the legal and political measures at its disposal if the Commission releases funding without the criteria being fulfilled or if it fails to ensure the full implementation of the relevant legislation, considering its responsibility to act as the guardian of the Treaties and to protect the EU’s financial interests.
The lawmakers of the EU will vote on the matter on Thursday, and a decision is expected to be made soon.
The fund freeze to Hungary has had a significant impact on the country, especially on Hungarian students in the Erasmus programme. The EU suspended 21 Hungarian universities from receiving funds, affecting around 9,000 students.
