EU-Belgium-Hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has threatened to veto new funding for Ukraine when EU heads of state or government gather for a new summit in Brussels on February 1. The response will not be to exclude Orbán from voting at the summit, according to Belgium’s ambassador to the EU, Willem van de Voorde, ahead of Belgium taking over the presidency of the EU on 1 January 2024. “As long as the member states respect the treaties, we can work together,” says Willem van de Voorde, stressing that Hungary has the right to have its own position on Ukraine funds, if it respects the EU’s rule of law and the EU treaties.
    Willem van de Voorde met the press in Brussels on Tuesday ahead of Belgium taking over the presidency. This comes at a critical time when support for Ukraine has been uncertain. At last week’s EU summit, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had to use the special consensus rules to the maximum to push through a decision on accession negotiations with Ukraine. Scholz asked Orbán to leave the room so that the other 26 EU countries could give the green light to Ukraine without Orbán vetoing the move. But that procedure cannot be used again at the extraordinary EU summit in February, was the assessment at the summit. /ritzau/