Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, said on Saturday that his government would not support the next budget of several years of the European Union as long as Brussels do not unlock all European frozen funds.
Disputes Disputes
For fifteen years, the nationalist leader has been in conflict with Brussels about his migration policies, the restriction of LGBTQ rights and what his detractors qualify as erosion of democracy in Hungary. The European Union has suspended several billion euros in funds for Budapest within the framework of a dispute over the rule of law.
Viktor Orban also accused the EU of wanting to install a “Pro-Ukraine and Pro-Bruce Government” in Hungary in the national elections next year. According to him, the current management of the Union leads the block towards a commercial war that Europe “cannot win.”
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, must meet with US President Donald Trump on Sunday in Scotland, while European officials hope to conclude a commercial framework agreement this weekend.
The headache of the European Budget
In early July, the European Commission proposed a budget of 2,000 billion euros for the 2028-2034 period, with emphasis on economic competitiveness and defense. Viktor Orban accuses “globalist bureaucrats” of wanting “to absorb Europe’s money to Ukraine,” while “our farmers rise to defend their future.”
Budget negotiations are among the most sensitive within the EU, revealing political and economic splits among the Member States.
Winner of the last four elections, Orban faces a new weight opponent in 2026. The Tisza party, led by its main rival, is ahead of Fidesz in most surveys, in the context of economic stagnation. However, Viktor Orban trusted this Sunday, saying that according to internal data, Fidesz would prevail in 80 of the 106 electoral districts if the elections took place on Sunday.
Source: BFM TV
