The European Commission is ready to accept some of Hungary’s demands in order to overcome its veto of a €50B support package for Ukraine.
In particular, the EC is prepared to grant Budapest the right in 2025 to assess whether Ukraine still needs money and whether it has fulfilled its requirements for receiving EU aid. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will retain the right to veto Ukraine’s assistance in 2025.
Neither is the EC opposed to annual aid checks and the addition of an “emergency suspension” clause, according to which any country can raise serious concerns about payments to Ukraine for discussion at a summit of EU member states. However, the article says this will not give Hungary an additional opportunity to impose a veto.
The sources say Hungary is “willing to negotiate” and will likely agree to lift the veto under such conditions.
The FT believes that concessions to Hungary are better than alternative arrangements that would require more complex mechanisms in order to bypass Budapest.