19/02/2023
M A, [19.02.2023 10:28]
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Hungary must bolster the independence of its judiciary "very soon" to stand a realistic chance of getting any of the 15.4 billion euros envisaged for Budapest from the European Union's COVID recovery stimulus, a senior EU official said.
Hungary can receive some 5.8 billion euros ($6.20 billion) in free grants and a further 9.6 billion euros in cheap loans from the EU, but the bloc has suspended any payments until Budapest implements reforms to improve judicial independence and tackle corruption.
M A, [19.02.2023 10:29]
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Saturday that Europe was "indirectly at war with Russia" as several European countries pledge to send battle tanks to help Ukraine fight Moscow's invasion.
Nationalist Orban, who was reelected in 2022 for a fourth consecutive term, reiterated that being a NATO member was "vital" for Hungary, but said his government would not send arms to Ukraine or sever its economic relations with Moscow