Hungary Sees 'No Realistic Chance' for EU Budget Amendments
There is "no realistic chance" for amendments to the European Union budget to be approved as it would require a unanimous decision, Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister's Office, said at a regular press briefing on Thursday, according to a report by state news wire MTI.
Brussels has asked for an additional EUR 98.5 billion from member states even though Hungary and Poland still haven't received "a single cent" of their EU funding, Gulyás said. "Some things need to be cleared up, such as what Brussels is spending the money on," he added.
Based on Brussels' request, Gulyás said EUR 50 bln of the additional monies would go to Ukraine and the rest would be used to cover interest expenditures and costs related to migrants, although not border defense. Around EUR 1.5 bln would be used to raise salaries among the bureaucracy in Brussels, he added.
"Hungary cannot allow this, and because budget amendments require unanimity, there's no realistic chance for the approval of such amendments," Gulyás said.
Gulyás said the government would use "all political and legal tools" to counter a European Union mechanism on mandatory migrant quotas. The new rule is "an invitation" for millions of migrants, he added.
Not only would the draft rule set resettlement quotas, it would require Hungary to process at least 10,000 asylum applications a year, he said. Hungary would have to allow people seeking asylum into the country and set up reception centers, he added, putting the idea on par with dismantling the fence along the border.
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