Hungary sets condition for new EU budget

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has set a condition for his country's support for the next long-term budget of the European Union. He said Budapest would only accept the financial framework if it received all the funds it was entitled to and if cohesion policy and agricultural funds were not cut.

The statement was made during the European Council meeting in Brussels, where leaders discussed the EU budget for the period 2028-2034. “We will only accept the budget if we receive all the funds we are entitled to and if cohesion funds and agricultural subsidies are not cut“, said Magyar, quoted by the Hungarian media “Telex“.

The 2028-2034 budget remains without agreement

The Irish presidency has proposed a framework worth 1.62 trillion euros. The amount is 141 billion euros lower than the European Commission's initial offer. The proposal has faced resistance from both net-contributing countries and a group of countries defending funds for poorer regions and farm payments.

According to the Associated Press, cohesion policy and farm subsidies account for about two-thirds of the EU's total budget. The agency said cutting those costs would free up money for defense, competitiveness and other new priorities, but it has faced resistance from a number of countries.

The leaders failed to reach a final agreement. The European Council said it aimed to reach an agreement by the end of 2026, so that the necessary legislation could be adopted in 2027 and funding could start without interruption from 1 January 2028. All 27 member states and the European Parliament need to approve the framework.

Latvia calls for more aid for Ukraine

At the meeting, Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kullbergs defended continued financial and military support for Ukraine. He said European security depended on Kiev's ability to withstand the winter and called for sanctions against Russia to be applied more consistently.

„Europeans should drink one less beer a year. We can afford it, and Ukraine needs these funds now. "A beer is just an expense, but there it is the price of a human life," Kulbergs said.

The Latvian prime minister pointed out that his country allocates 6.4% of its gross domestic product to defense. According to him, the countries on the eastern flank are suffering the worst economic consequences of the war and need additional support in the next EU budget.

Kulbergs also insisted on European measures against the transit of Russian grain and on stricter enforcement of sanctions. He warned that it is illogical for Europe to allocate more funds to Ukraine while Russian companies continue to gain access to products and technologies used to produce missiles.

Sources: telex.hu, apnews.com, rigatv.com