Hungary's New RRP: 'Higher Ambition Towards Rule Of Law'

Hungary's new Reconstruction and Recovery Plan "demonstrates a higher level of ambition to protect the EU's financial interests and strengthen the rule of law," Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms, said in Brussels.

Commissioner Fitto said the new Hungarian RRP went beyond "what was previously discussed with the EC" in terms of "strengthening the country's anti-corruption framework, improving its public procurement law, and joining the European Public Prosecutor's Office."

European Parliament's budget and budgetary control committees heard the Commissioner regarding funding released to Hungary, and he told them that all EU members had revised their own RRPs, and there was "no special treatment for Hungary".

Hungary, similarly to other member states, has six weeks left to implement its plan before the Aug 31 deadline, Raffaele Fitto added.

Fitto noted that EC President Ursula von der Leyen and Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar agreed on a framework late in May to release community funding for Hungary blocked under various EU procedures against the country.

Through delivering on its new RRP, Hungary could access EUR 10 billion, EUR 4.2 billion through completing the reforms required through the rule-of-law conditionality procedure, and a further EUR 2.2 billion meeting conditions concerning academic freedoms in Hungary, the Commissioner stated.

He also noted that on June 9 the Hungarian government filed a request to have Hungary's RRP revised to make the plan simpler and ensure maximum access to the funding, meeting the EU's supermilestones and introducing anti-corruption reforms.

Raffaele Fitto added, however, that "work remains to be done … Hungary must now deliver the reforms and investments it has committed to and then submit its payment request in September. The commission will assess the fulfilment of the supermilestones and we'll proceed with the payment once all of them have been fulfilled."