ER Editor: A reminder that Viktor Orban has proved himself to be an unusual thorn in the side of the EU and an outspoken critic of late, publicly visiting Xi in Beijing and meeting with Putin while there. Do we have here the EU caving in to him in this instance? Albeit partially? Opposition groups seem to be having a fit over it. See —
Don’t give in to Orbán’s blackmail over frozen billions, warn EU party leaders
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We find this other Politico.eu article to be curious and suggestive —
The rumored resurrection of Austria-Hungary – Whether it’s Ukraine, Russia, or even the Israel-Hamas conflict, the impression in EU circles is that the pair are singing from the same songbook.
Of note:
An Austria that goes against the pack, and often in cahoots with Hungary, is a frightening prospect for many in Brussels. For one, Austria has traditionally been a member of the Western European fold that, despite occasionally causing problems, can generally be counted on to support the liberal consensus. What’s more, though the two countries are roughly the same size in terms of population, Austria’s economy is about three times larger than Hungary’s, which lends it more clout.
Precisely. Austria has backed the liberal agenda (or tyrannical agenda over the vaccines and segregated society) to the hilt and was infamous for its hardline stance on vaccines, which suddenly never materialized. Two chancellors went in this time – wunderkind and Young Global Leader Sebastian Kurz and Alexander Schallenberg, with then ‘new’ chancellor Karl Nehammer being perhaps the worst. Nehammer is still in place. So what’s changed since then, and why? Something has for sure.
Soros used to look to Austria for help with its regime change plans in Belarus. See this from August of 2022, a mere 18 months ago –
Soros Turns to Austria to Prepare Regime Change in Belarus
Schallenberg was a major help to Soros according to this piece. Is this why Schallenberg didn’t last long as Chancellor? Has Nehammer been persuaded to change allegiance? By whom? It’s most curious.
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“After a thorough assessment, and several exchanges with the Hungarian government, the Commission considers that Hungary has taken the measures it committed to take,” allowing the EU’s executive to free up the funds, the Commission said in a press release.
“This means part of the cohesion policy funding would no longer be blocked, and therefore Hungary may start claiming reimbursements of up to around €10.2 billion,” the statement said.
Orbán’s government has been embroiled in a long-standing dispute with Brussels, which has frozen billions of EU funds intended for Hungary over concerns about human rights and the rule of law in the country. (ER: or not willing to succumb to Enemy No.1, Soros)
In December 2022, the Commission decided to block about €22 billion in EU cohesion funds, which are meant to help poorer EU member countries invest in their economies. These funds are in large part paid as reimbursements for money spent by national governments on domestic programs.
Back then, the Commission set out conditions that Budapest must meet to access the cash.
These included the implementation of a string of measures to strengthen the independence of the judiciary. (ER: No, to be willing to have Soros-related judicial choices.)
Since then, the Hungarian authorities have made some legal changes to strengthen the role and powers of the National Judicial Council — a body supervising the administration of Hungarian courts — and the independence of the Supreme Court.
These changes were enough to free some, but not all of the frozen funds, as Hungary still needs to implement another set of reforms linked to the protection of human rights and academic freedoms. In parallel, it is also waiting to access €10.4 billion in grants and cheap loans from the EU, for which it will have to take a string of anti-corruption measures.
“Overall, the funding that remains locked for Hungary amounts to around €21 billion,” the Commission’s statement said.
The decision from the EU’s executive body comes just ahead of a major European summit in Brussels later this week, at which leaders will discuss the opening of accession negotiations for Ukraine.
The Hungarian leader, who is threatening to block further EU aid to Ukraine, is known for his proximity to Moscow and President Vladimir Putin.
The prospect of having Orbán derail the summit raised alarm in European capitals, and prompted French President Emmanuel Macron to host the Hungarian leader for dinner in Paris last week, in an attempt to find a compromise on Ukraine.
CONTINUE READING HERE
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Published to The Liberty Beacon from EuropeReloaded.com
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