Since the LIBE Committee will soon be discussing again how to ensure that Hungary does not receive the economic restart fund, which every other member state except the Poles and us has already received, Origo.hu gathered how the domestic left is lobbying that our country does not receive any not receive EU funds.

Gyurcsány:

  • In May 2020, in the middle of the coronavirus crisis, he said: the rules that exclude anti-democratic governments from using EU funds must finally be adopted
  • In February 2021, he announced that in my speech today I asked the European Commission to give the money directly to local governments and NGOs instead of such governments
  • And in July 2021, he said quite openly: as long as Viktor Orbán and his government continue this policy, that is, as long as the Prime Minister of Hungary is called Viktor Orbán, not a penny of EU support will come from the funds that can be distributed by the Orbán government
  • And in December 2021, he declared: the Hungarian government's policy of destroying our democratic values ​​will finally have consequences that will really hurt Orbán: if there is no rule of law, there will be no EU resources. After our discussion with President Macron, we can confidently say that the rule of law mechanism will be introduced under the French presidency.

Katalin Czech:

  • Before his election as an EP representative, he said: the right to distribute European funds should be tied to rule of law criteria; which government violates them, the EU will share the money directly instead of them. […] the EU cannot currently ensure the criteria of the rule of law for everyone. This shortcoming must be resolved: the government that cannot ensure the conditions for transparent, value-creating money spending should not distribute EU money. For example, I would not support in any way that Hungarian citizens and entrepreneurs fail the EU funds, that is why we say that the right to distribute money is taken away from problematic governments.
  • At the beginning of 2022, he threatened: we created the mechanism - I know, because as the only Hungarian MEP representative I sat at the negotiating table - to protect our common, European values ​​within our community, so that the oligarchs and money-hungry government cronies who hold their grip on EU resources do not get rich – so let's use this tool! (…) Let's not forget: in 46 days, on April 3, there will be elections in Hungary, the stakes of which are clear. If Viktor Orbán remains in government, the Hungarian people and the Hungarian economy will not be able to access the resources they are entitled to.

Gregory Christmas:

  • In May 2021, he stated: if the Orbán government is still unwilling to negotiate and is preparing to spend resources inappropriately, we will use our option provided by EU law, we will use an official complaint to the European Commission, which can decide that the plans obliges the government to revise and negotiate.
  • In June 2021, he reported: I had a proposal: we created a broad association of local governments in order to punish the governments, not the people, in those member states that fundamentally violate the EU's basic values, and the citizens receive the EU funds directly, businesses, NGOs, local governments.
  • And in his statement of February 2022, he talked about: after the decision of the European Court of Justice, the voters will already decide on the EU resources in April. It has become clear that due to the anti-democratic operation of the Orbán government, from now on every single Hungarian citizen will have to pay a heavy price that can be expressed in forints. If Fidesz wins, we will not have access to the resources that belong to the Hungarian people and the Hungarian economy.

Source: PS/Origo

Image: MTI