Orbán threatens to vote against EU 100 billion budget for Ukraine

Orbán says that he would not agree to the EU budget because it would allegedly send Hungarian money to Ukraine and ruin Hungarian farmers. In addition, the notorious blackmailer said that the new EU budget would make Hungary vulnerable to blackmail.

"I will never accept that we, Hungarians, will receive the funding we are entitled to only if we submit to Brussels' policies on war, immigration, and gender equality," he said.

Orbán adds that Brussels should understand that Hungary's answer is never. He will vote against the budget.

Blackmail will not work

But there is a nuance in this moment that puts an end to Orbán's position. Traditionally, the Hungarian prime minister will not be able to blackmail the European Union with his position, no matter how much he wants to.

The nuance is that the decision on the EU budget is made traditionally, by a qualified majority vote. Therefore, Orbán's agreement or disagreement with the European budget for 2028-2034 means absolutely nothing.

Draft EU budget

On July 16, the European Commission released a draft EU budget covering the period from 2028 to 2034. The total amount is 1.98 trillion euros, which exceeds the current seven-year budget of 1.2 trillion euros. Out of this budget, 100 billion euros will be allocated for Ukraine.

The draft budget caused hysteria in Hungary. First, Orbán himself began to complain about it. Then the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized it.