Published: December 19 2023
Hungary has recently received the first tranche of EU funding, but the European Commission has the power to block the funds at any time.
Strengthening the Hungarian judiciary
The Hungarian government has successfully negotiated with the European Commission to strengthen the independence of the Hungarian judiciary. The European Commission has approved the legislative package, with two additions, aimed at meeting the criteria necessary to ensure the independence of the judiciary.
Monitoring by the European Commission
The European Commission is closely monitoring Hungary to ensure that the necessary criteria for the independence of the judiciary are being met. If there is any backlash or if the latest amendments do not enter into force, the European Commission has the authority to stop payments. Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders has stated that new sanctions can be imposed by the Commission at any time.
Funding availability and conditions
Currently, the funding is available to Hungary, but it can be frozen by the European Commission at any time. It is important to note that out of the total €22 billion of cohesion funding, only €10.2 billion is technically available. The remaining amount is either suspended under the conditionality procedure or blocked due to other horizontal conditions such as educational freedom, sexual minority rights, and the migration debate.
Questions & Answers
What is the current status of EU funding for Hungary? Hungary has received the first tranche of EU funding, but the European Commission can block the funds again at any time.
What conditions did the Hungarian government meet to receive EU funding? The Hungarian government successfully negotiated with the European Commission to strengthen the independence of the Hungarian judiciary through a reform package. This met the horizontal eligibility criteria linked to the EU budget.
What is the European Commission watching for in Hungary? The European Commission is paying particular attention to the criteria necessary to ensure the independence of the judiciary, which is considered a key aspect of European values.
What will happen if there is a backlash or if the latest amendments do not enter into force in Hungary? If there is a backlash or if the latest amendments to strengthen judicial independence do not enter into force for any reason, the European Commission has the power to stop payments, potentially freezing the EU funding for Hungary.
How much of the EU cohesion funding is currently available for Hungary? On paper, all EUR 22 billion of cohesion funding could now be mobilised for Hungary. However, technically only EUR 10.2 billion of that is currently available. EUR 6.35 billion remains suspended under the conditionality procedure, and a further EUR 2.6 billion is blocked due to other horizontal conditions such as educational freedom, sexual minority rights, and the migration debate.
