Hungary's veto on EUR 90 bln EU loan to Ukraine may be lifted this wee
Hungary's veto, which is blocking the final decision on the allocation of a EUR 90 billion loan to support Ukraine, may be lifted as early as this Wednesday, April 22.
According to a publication on the website of the Council of the EU on Monday, a corresponding additional item No. 41 has been included in the agenda of the meeting of Coreper – the Committee of Permanent Representatives (ambassadors of member states) of the Council of the EU in Brussels, which will take place on April 22.
This refers to an amendment to the regulation on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021-2027.
At the same time, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán recently confirmed that this will certainly not happen until Ukraine restores the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline, which was suspended following Russian shelling.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, speaking at a structured dialogue with the European Parliament on Monday, noted that the European Commission expects that "as soon as the oil will flow in the Druzsba Pipeline again, this could happen these days, we will be able to provide Ukraine with the long awaited 90 billion EUR loan."
"We are now optimistic that, with the support of the new government of Hungary, the Council will soon be in the position to formally open all negotiations clusters [with Ukraine]," Kos said.
As previously reported, Ukraine expected to receive the first tranche of the EUR 90 billion EU loan, which was politically approved late last year, as early as April this year, but Hungary blocked it.