The European Commission is ready to submit to some of Hungaryʼs demands in order to overcome the veto on the allocation of €50 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
Several high-ranking officials told the Financial Times about this.
To persuade Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to waive his veto, the commission is ready to give him the option in 2025 to stop the funding deal midway.
The potential concession provides that Hungary will be able to initiate a review of the terms of the agreement to assess how much Ukraine needs funding and whether it has met EU requirements for receiving funds.
The Commission is also not opposed to annual checks of aid and the introduction of an "emergency braking" clause, according to which any country can bring "serious concerns about payments to Ukraine" for discussion at the summit of EU leaders. At the same time, this clause will not give Hungary an additional opportunity to veto funding.
Asked whether those conditions would be enough for Orbán to lift the veto, a senior Hungarian official told the FT he was "not sure yet, but most likely yes". The Hungarians are "willing to negotiate," the source said.
- On October 3, 2023, the European Parliament adopted a resolution supporting the European Commissionʼs proposals to revise the multi-year EU budget, which provides for the creation of a special Ukrainian fund in the amount of €50 billion. However, Hungary was the only country that opposed this initiative. In order to convince Orban to approve the provision of €50 billion in aid to Ukraine, the EU will hold a special summit. The President of the European Council noted that the date of the special EU summit has not yet been confirmed, but it is known that it will take place at the end of January — beginning of February.