Hungarian, Polish muni councils press for direct access to EU recovery fund

The mayors of Budapest and Warsaw on Monday said 249 Hungarian and Polish local governments have proposed to European Union leaders in a letter allowing them direct access to the EU recovery fund if it is established without the participation of the two countriesʼ central governments, according to a report by state news wire MTI.

At a joint online press conference, Budapest mayor Gergely Karácsony voiced opposition to a policy exercised by the central governments of Hungary and Poland that "vetoes European cooperation", adding that he believes the Hungarian governmentʼs stand is not an expression of the will of the Hungarian people or of the interests or the values of the Hungarian nation.

"The bigger majority in Hungary and Poland want to remain part of Europe, and continue to want to be constructive," Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski said.

Hungary and Poland have vetoed the recovery fund and the next EU budget over a mechanism that would attach payouts to observance of the rule of law.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki said in a joint declaration issued late in November that the proposed rule-of-law conditionality mechanism would "undermine the Rule of Law within the Union by degrading it to a political instrument".

Tourism

Tourism Sector on the Upturn

Figures

VC Investments in CEE at EUR 940 mln in Q2 2024 – Vestbee

World

American Hungarian Diaspora Org Sets Sights on Young People

Energy Trade

Ganz’s Giant Transformer to Connect Hungarian and Eastern European Power Grids

SUPPORT THE BUDAPEST BUSINESS JOURNAL

Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.