Hungary lawmakers hand PM Orban EU virus deal veto

BUDAPEST: The Hungarian parliament on Tuesday mandated Prime Minister Viktor Orban to veto a huge EU pandemic recovery fund deal if it is deemed unfair by Budapest or sets rule-of-law conditions.

EU leaders meet later this week to agree on a 750-billion-euro ($850 billion) coronavirus aid package aimed at helping countries hit hardest by the virus.

But Orban has said he will veto a deal if poorer EU members like Hungary receive less funding than richer ones, or if conditions like rule-of-law or migration policy conformity are imposed.

"Linking the funding to political and ideological conditions under the heading 'rule-of-law' is unacceptable," read the parliamentary resolution text.

The money must also be used only to restart economic growth, protect and create jobs, Tuesday's resolution said.

Orban said on Friday the loan package "must be fair and flexible" and "should not be mixed with politics".

"Any attempt to link the rule of law issue to the (deal) would inevitably turn into a political dispute. If the two became confused, there would be no relaunching of the economy and no budget," he said.

Orban does not legally need a parliamentary resolution to represent Hungary abroad but he has used them before to portray a united position in Brussels.

A perceived weakening of the rule of law in Hungary and Orban's tough line against immigration have regularly led to clashes between Budapest and the bloc's executive.

The resolution also says Brussels' ongoing "Article 7" sanctions procedures against Hungary for infringing EU values "must be closed" for Budapest to back the rescue plan.