Correspondence Brussels// The EU summit started amid Hungarian blackmail
The winter summit of the European Union began amid Viktor Orbán's victory and the success of Hungarian blackmail. On Wednesday, December 13, on the eve of the meeting, the European Commission announced the unblocking of 10.2 billion euros of funds intended for Hungary, which had been frozen due to the situation of human rights and the rule of law in this EU member country.
That blackmail was clear from the beginning: Viktor Orbán announced that he would oppose the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine (and implicitly also with the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia-Herzegovina), and that Hungary could also block the European aid package for Kiev at the same time.
It is a package of 70 billion euros. The functioning of the European Union now means that 26 countries with a mass population of 440 million inhabitants and representing 99% of European GDP are dependent on the mood of a small Eastern European state of less than 10 million of residents and whose head of government does not hide his personal sympathies for Putin.
In addition to the opening, in the first half of 2024, of the accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova and the granting of "candidate" status to Georgia, the main decision expected at this summit is therefore the granting of macroeconomic aid to Kiev of 50 billion euros (17 in donations, 33 in subsidized loans), as well as an increase in European military aid by 20 billion euros. A signal of solidarity, both political and material, vital for Ukraine, at a time when its counter-offensive has failed and while the US Congress has not yet approved the new aid promised by President Joe Biden.
To the great misfortune of the Union, but also of Kiev, these decisions can only be taken unanimously, which gives every state, even the smallest, a disproportionate capacity to cause damage.
