European Parliament calls for withholding E.U. funds from Hungary, condemns Orban for blocking Ukraine aid

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday calling for the European Commission not to release frozen funds to Hungary until Budapest conducts reforms to meet the E.U.’s democratic standards.

MEPs said they will “assess possible legal actions” against the Commission for its decision in December to unfreeze 10.2 billion euros that were earmarked for Hungary but were blocked in 2022 over human rights and judicial independence concerns.

The Parliament also condemned Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s decision to block amendments to the E.U. budget that would have provided 50 billion euros to Ukraine. It called on the European Council to agree to make good on its “political commitments already undertaken, including funding for Ukraine,” at the E.U.’s extraordinary summit on February 1.

The lawmakers accused Hungary of making “deliberate, continuous and systematic efforts” to undermine the E.U.’s founding values. “In no way can the EU give in to blackmail and trade the strategic interests of the EU and its allies by renouncing its values,” they continued, calling for an end to Hungary’s “abuse of the right of veto and the blackmail in the European Council and other European institutions.”

The resolution is non-binding, but it does raise the pressure on the European Commission and the E.U.’s member states to “take a harder line” on releasing more funds to Hungary, as Bloomberg noted.