EU to involve Belgian king if Orbán vetoes sanctions against Russia - FT
Photo: King Philippe I of Belgium (Getty Images)
The European Union is considering options in case Hungary vetoes the extension of sanctions against Moscow. One of the ways could be the law of the Kingdom of Belgium from the Second World War, the Financial Times reports.
EU officials are currently trying to persuade Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to extend sanctions and seizure of Russian assets.
In particular, we are talking about 190 billion euros in the Euroclear depository located in Belgium. If the sanctions are not extended, this money will be in Russia the next day because there will be no reason to hold it, a European official told the Financial Times.
In this case, a royal decree from the Second World War (1944) can be used, which will allow Belgian King Philip I to block the transfer of frozen assets from the country to Russia, the sources said.
Extension of sanctions
The EU has approved 15 packages of sanctions against Russia following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and is working on a 16th package of measures.
The EU extends the existing sanctions every six months, and this requires a unanimous decision of the 27 member states.
According to Hungary's Minister for EU Affairs János Boka, the country has not yet decided whether to support the extension of EU sanctions against Russia at the end of this month and believes that the EU should decide on this issue only after consultations with the new Donald Trump administration.
