Hungary’s Magyar has ‘unlocked’ €16B in EU cash. Getting it is another story. – POLITICO
Hungary’s Magyar has ‘unlocked’ €16B in EU cash. Getting it is another story. – POLITICO Skip to main content Source link
All posts tagged: EU funding
The ban threat facing Europe’s far right – POLITICO
Europe’s far right is yet again under the microscope as a European Parliament watchdog moves to ban the Alternative for Germany’s EU party. On the show, Zoya Sheftalovich and Sarah Wheaton discuss how the far-right Europe of Sovereign Nations party — home to Germany’s AfD — risks losing EU funding and even its status as a political party. In a 300-page letter, the Authority for European Political Parties and Foundations cites evidence of anti-immigration, antisemitic and anti-LGBT rhetoric from its members. It argues this “casts doubt” on the ESN’s compliance with EU values. Next, we discuss how one of Europe’s oldest geopolitical disputes is spilling into preparations for this year’s U.N. climate summit. Turkey, which is hosting COP31 this November in Antalya, has effectively frozen Cyprus out of parts of the preparatory process. And finally: we dig into a very Brussels-y diplomatic food fight that’s been brewing quietly in the background for months. Questions? Comments? Send us a message — or even better, a voice note on WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29. Source …
Brussels watchdog moves to ban Alternative for Germany’s EU party – POLITICO
The ESN political group doesn’t face sanctions, and the only effect that AfD MEPs would feel would be the lack of a political party to provide support in future EU elections or to coordinate policy with like-minded factions. The ESN party and ESN group were founded by Alternative for Germany in the wake of the 2024 EU election, and include Bulgaria’s Revival, France’s Reconquest (led by Éric Zemmour), Poland’s Confederation, Czechia’s SPD, Hungary’s Our Homeland Movement, the Netherlands’ Forum for Democracy, and Slovakia’s Republic Movement. In 2026 it is slated to receive over €2 million in subsidies from the European Parliament. The watchdog — the Authority for European Political Parties and Foundations — said it had found evidence that “cast doubt on the compliance” of the ESN party with EU values, the director of the authority, Pascal Schonard, wrote in a letter. The missive was addressed to the Council of the EU — comprising representatives of national governments — and was seen by POLITICO on Wednesday. The watchdog’s process was launched on Friday. The watchdog monitors whether …
European prosecutors probe €11M cost of Greece’s migrant camps – POLITICO
In addition to the exorbitant cost, the process had also drawn the opposition’s attention because a New Democracy official had been appointed director of the ministry’s Technical Service, which was in charge of both constructions. Then-Minister of Migration Notis Mitarachi defended the appointment when the issue was raised in parliament in 2020, arguing that the technical service then operated through NGOs, which managed 82 percent of EU migration funds. The first contract now under EPPO investigation involves the expansion of an existing camp in Malakasa, built in order to accommodate 1,500 migrants transferred from the islands. The contract was awarded in April 2020 to a company based in Athens, without prior tender. While the initial deal for the structure’s basic maintenance was worth €4.3 million, the project was eventually delivered after at least five extensions and a supplementary contract worth €1.7 million. Former Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi speaks to the press prior to a meeting in the Europa building in Brussels on Nov. 25, 2022. | Thierry Monasse/Getty Images The EPPO is also probing …
EU Commission plans new squeeze on Chinese trade – POLITICO
The push would also accelerate work on a so-called overcapacity instrument to deal with state-subsidized firms producing vast quantities of goods in strategic sectors, making it virtually impossible for other industries to compete. Such a mechanism has been under discussion for some time, but is perceived as risky as it would likely run afoul of World Trade Organization rules, which generally bar members from discriminating against single countries. According to two EU officials working on the proposals, granted anonymity to speak frankly, the plans will first be discussed and refined by commissioners at an “orientation debate” on May 29. EU leaders are then expected to discuss China’s export curbs on critical raw materials — essential for everything from wind turbines to car batteries — at a G7 summit in France that begins June 15, providing political direction for the EU executive. Following that, the Commission will seek input from EU heads of government at a European Council on June 18 in Brussels. A draft agenda for the summit, obtained by POLITICO, includes the issue as …
EU parties misspent €1.5M in European election campaign, documents show – POLITICO
This accounting trick was repeatedly mentioned in last year’s audits, and this year the Parliament’s administration urged organizations in several meetings “to discontinue the practice,” the report says. “There could have been an attempt to fraudulently use public money,” said Louis Drouneau, founder of the European Democracy Consulting, an organization that tracks political party donations and expenditure. “And since there is so little transparency regarding the expenses of European parties … this decreases the ability of civil society and the press to keep a watchful eye on party expenses,” he said. “This is noticeably different from the level of transparency enacted in many member states.” “Any suspicion of illegal activity, fraud or corruption must be reported” to the anti-fraud office or the European prosecutor, the Parliament said in a statement. It could not confirm how many cases were referred to these authorities over 2024 misspending. Of the €1.5 million, only €130,453 is properly accounted for in the Parliament’s report, with the reasons given for the misspending and those responsible: the Patriots, the Green European Foundation, the Institute of European Democrats and …
EU to tell countries to fight poverty — without offering fresh cash – POLITICO
“There is no strategy without money,” said Juliana Wahlgren, director of the European Anti-Poverty Network. “How are we going to implement it if, funding-wise, this is not a priority?” Poverty target slipping The EU wants to reduce the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million from 2019 to 2030, and eradicate it by 2050. That target was set in 2021. But by 2025, that number had fallen by just 3.4 million, according to the draft of the strategy seen by POLITICO. Across the bloc in 2025, 20.9 percent of the population was at risk of poverty, down only marginally since 2019, when it stood at 21.1 percent. The picture varies sharply across the bloc. Romania and Bulgaria have reduced the share of people at risk of poverty by around a third over the past decade, while some of the EU’s richest countries have moved in the opposite direction. The Covid-19 pandemic reversed a trend of falling poverty numbers in France, Austria and Germany, among others. In those …
Commission blocks EU funding for Huawei solar tech – POLITICO
Inverters are a piece of technology that turns solar panels’ electricity into current that flows into the grid. Huawei is a market leader in the technology. The EU has long been concerned about the threat posed by Chinese tech giant Huawei and its smaller rival ZTE in 5G networks, and is seeking to push EU member countries to remove them from their telecom networks — a position it is now trying to make mandatory. Concerns over Huawei’s dominance in the solar technology market have flared more recently. Risks posed by foreign interference in clean energy networks include manipulation of “electricity production parameters,” disruption of electricity generation and unauthorized access to operational data, McGarry said Monday. This could mean a “remote shutdown … leading to countrywide blackouts,” she said. Suppliers from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran are affected by the ban, the unnamed EU official said, though they noted that Chinese suppliers hold 80 percent of the global market share of solar inverters. The revised Cybersecurity Act also seeks to tackle these risks in the …
Hungary’s Magyar meets von der Leyen to game-plan unlocking frozen EU funds – POLITICO
Magyar’s team has also been working with some of his predecessor’s ministers and civil servants to advance the technical work required to make the reforms, three other officials with knowledge of the proceedings said. András Kármán, Magyar’s nominee for finance minister, István Kapitány, tapped for economy minister, and Anita Orbán, the incoming foreign minister, met a high-level Commission delegation, including von der Leyen’s Cabinet chief Bjoern Seibert, on Saturday and prepared the ground for the Magyar-von der Leyen meeting. Before that, the teams met in Budapest on April 18 and 19. The first step to unlocking Hungary’s recovery money is complying with 27 EU-mandated “super milestones,” covering procurement, judicial independence and academic freedom. Because Tisza has won more than two-thirds of the seats in parliament, Magyar is expected to be able to get those changes approved quickly. European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber with Ursula Von der Leyen in Brussels in January 2025. Weber said the European Parliament should halt Article 7 proceedings against Hungary. | Frederick Florin/AFP via Getty Images The harder part is …
Hungary’s Magyar heading to Brussels for talks on unlocking EU funds – POLITICO
China’s commerce ministry warns Brussels that Beijing “will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard” the interests of Chinese companies and individuals included in the 20th sanctions package. 3 HRS ago 2 mins read Source link