Hungary and Poland made it clear that they cannot approve the seven-year budget and the fund for economic recovery of the European Union because of the decision to create a mechanism for monitoring the observance of the principles of the rule of law in the countries of the community. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced this to journalists on Thursday following the EU summit, which was held in the format of a videoconference.
According to TASS, Merkel believes that this alone is not yet a cause for concern. At the same time, the politician pointed out that for many EU countries, the draft seven-year community budget for 2021-2027, the plan for economic recovery after the pandemic and the mechanism for monitoring compliance with the principles of the rule of law “are a single package.”
The heads of state and government of the European Union during a videoconference discussed the agreement of a multi-year financial plan on Thursday, November 19, but a decision on it should be made later. This was announced by a senior source in the EU.
Videoconferencing is not an appropriate format for discussing such a complex issue, he said. The spokesman also said that European leaders are aware of the seriousness of the situation and intend to reach an agreement on the issue as soon as possible.
Earlier, representatives of the German presidency of the Council of EU countries and the European Parliament as a whole agreed on a draft seven-year budget of the union for 2021-2027 in the amount of € 1.07 trillion and a plan for economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic for € 750 billion.
Moreover, for the final approval of the budget, it must be approved by all EU countries. On November 16, the Hungarian and Polish authorities vetoed the new draft budget of the European Union (EU) for 2021-2027. The reason for blocking the project by these countries was the inclusion in it of the principle of the rule of law, which is the independence of justice, as well as the countries’ respect for common human rights.
The final version of the seven-year EU budget plan was approved during the July 17-21 summit in Brussels. It provides for spending in the amount of € 1.07 trillion for the period from 2021 to 2027. EU extrabudgetary funding is € 750 billion.