Likelihood of EU leaders approving €50B for Ukraine: Budget Commissioner's forecast
Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner (Photo: twitter.com/JHahnEU)
The leaders of the European Union countries are likely to approve a review of the budget until 2027, which includes 50 billion euros for Ukraine, states the EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn in an interview with Reuters.
According to him, Hungary must agree to the decision regarding the budget review as it concerns its own interests.
Specifically, Budapest currently seeks to protect its borders from migrants, and the budget review includes 15 billion euros for such a policy within the entire European Union.
"It is a package, it's not only for Ukraine, there is something in it for migration, border protection, support of countries like Turkey, nowadays good friends of Hungary and vice versa, to get also additional financial means," explains Hahn.
He notes that the European Commission has a Plan B in case Hungary does veto the decision on the 50 billion euros for Ukraine, but he does not wish to disclose it to avoid providing an exit.
The EU Commissioner also confirms that 26 EU countries can assist Ukraine under an intergovernmental agreement.
"Of course. It is one of the possibilities. But I don't believe that Hungary would stay out of the international, not only European, but international community" adds Hahn.
50 Billion euros for Ukraine
Earlier, the European Commission proposed allocating 50 billion euros to Ukraine by 2027.
For such a decision to be adopted, it must be approved by all EU leaders. The issue will be discussed at the summit scheduled for December 14-15.
Hungary threatens to veto such an initiative and sets its conditions. Just yesterday, the political director of Hungary's Prime Minister Balazs Orban stated that his country would approve the EU budget review only if the bloc unfreezed the 30 billion euros intended for Budapest.
