Hungary’s MPs back Orban’s stance on EU recovery plan without rule-of-law conditions attached

Hungarian lawmakers passed a resolution on Tuesday calling on PM Viktor Orban’s government to ensure that the EU’s economic stimulus plan meets certain conditions. They include the fair distribution of funds among richer and poorer countries, and not tying funds to rule-of-law provisions.

The resolution, while not legally binding, is seen as a political resource that Orban can tap this week during an EU leaders’ summit in Brussels on the proposed recovery package and the EU’s long-term budget.

The parliament also listed “principles” that would exclude from EU funding parties and “organizations which carry out political activities under a civic disguise,” and end the sanctioning procedures the EU initiated against Hungary and Poland because of concerns about the rule of law in those countries, AP said.

However, the document expresses support overall for the proposed €750 billion ($855 billion) stimulus package, which includes €500 billion in grants and €250 billion in loans for EU countries. The grants would be backed by common debt among EU states.