Under the proposed new system, if nation-states ...'defied orders from the European Union',.... or were judged to not be toeing the line on issues such as migrant redistribution, funding could be easily withdrawn.
Posted on 11/17/2020 12:41:08 PM PST by NachOsten
EU member states Hungary and Poland have followed through on their threat to block the continental power bloc’s seven-year budget, after Brussels attempted to push it through with conditions the populist nations said were akin to “political enslavement”.
European Union rules mean that many significant decisions — including whether to approve the bloc’s seven-yearly funding programs — must be taken unanimously, with any single member state able to veto decisions.
This safeguard was triggered on Monday by conservative-led Hungary and Poland, who blocked the progress of the €1.8 trillion (£1.6 trillion, $2.1 trillion) ‘Multi annual Financial Framework’ (MFF) as an attack on national sovereignty.
Until now, the distribution of EU funds has been based largely on economic considerations, with the poorest European states receiving the most and the richest — countries like Germany, the United Kingdom, and France — paying the most.
Under the proposed new system, if nation-states defied orders from the European Union, or were judged to not be toeing the line on issues such as migrant redistribution, funding could be easily withdrawn.
Germany’s Katarina Barley, who serves as the European Parliament’s vice president, summed up the intention behind the new rules succinctly when she said in October that misbehaving EU members should be “starved financially” into submission.
While the long-debated conditions attached to the new European budget were couched in very specific and even anodyne language — characterizing the requirements as “rule of law” stipulations, or a requirement to “respect” democratic norms — critics said the moves were an attempt to exert more direct political control over European nations from Brussels.
Speaking today, Poland’s justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro was absolutely explicit in how the plan attacked the sovereignty of individual EU members, leaving them vulnerable to the will of other states. Deutsche Welle reports that Ziobro said: “The question is whether Poland… will be subject to political and institutionalized enslavement.
“Because this is not rule of law, which is just a pretext, but it is really an institutional, political enslavement, a radical limitation of sovereignty.” Hungary’s Viktor Orban, for his part, said “nothing is agreed on until everything is agreed on” — a reference to the fact that the workings of the European Union mean Hungary was powerless to stop the new rules being added to the budget, so was left with no choice but to block the whole budget, as is its right.
Hungary Today reports Orban as saying the law would lead to “politically motivated financial sanctions” and that ultimately the way that EU rulings are implemented in Hungary has to be up to Hungarians, and Hungarians alone.
The new conditions, which have been tirelessly promoted by hardline Eurofederalists like anti-Brexit campaigner Guy Verhofstadt, come after years of disagreements between more populist-minded European nations like Hungary and Poland and the Eurocratic elite in Brussels, which skews distinctly towards globalized multilateralism.
Refusal of the nations to cooperate in European Union-wide migrant resettlement programs, and defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, have caused considerable anger.
A major stumbling block for the European Union in their criticism of the Hungarian and Polish governments is how popular they are in their respective home countries.
Orban was an anti-Communist activist when the country was still behind the Iron Curtain, and his government won a third consecutive term in a landslide election in 2018 and is among the most domestically popular governments in Europe.
A similar story is true in Poland. When the ruling Law and Justice party came to power in 2015 it had the largest mandate of any party in the country since the fall of Communism, and it was re-elected last year with an even larger vote share.
Some have responded to the blocking of the budget by attacking leaders like Orban directly, including Verhofstadt who claimed a “corrupt power grab” by the elected leader.
Britain’s left-wing mainstay The Guardian reported similar remarks by Green MEP Rasmus Andresen, who called Poland and Hungary “autocratic” regimes and said they were holding “Europe and Covid hostage for his failed policies”.
God bless them! No money for mass emigration, Control over nation states policies and much more. What pisses me off, that the other 2 V4 members (CZ, SK) didn't stand with them.
Slovakia is almost completely destroyed by the new government.
Even though today there were rallies in many cities against covid measures. 10s of thousands went to the streets accross the whole country.
Awesome - they would have been insane to approve it ...
A sudden profusion of circumflexed letter “a”s on FR. Is this because of the weekend migration?
Isn’t every representative government supposed to be “populist”?
Germany's Katarina Barley, who serves as the European Parliament's vice president, summed up the intention behind the new rules succinctly when she said in October that misbehaving EU members should be "starved financially" into submission... Poland's justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro... "Because this is not rule of law, which is just a pretext, but it is really an institutional, political enslavement, a radical limitation of sovereignty." Hungary's Viktor Orban, for his part, said "nothing is agreed on until everything is agreed on" -- a reference to the fact that the workings of the European Union mean Hungary was powerless to stop the new rules being added to the budget, so was left with no choice but to block the whole budget, as is its right.
Under the proposed new system, if nation-states ...'defied orders from the European Union',.... or were judged to not be toeing the line on issues such as migrant redistribution, funding could be easily withdrawn.
CHECKMATE!
Good for Poland and Hungary.
The EU is a terrible creation. Ripping away customs and values.
a,a,a, don’t know :-)
“Populist Govts of Hungary, Poland Veto EU’s Globalist Power Grab Budget”
I’m sure Joe Birdbrain if elected will jump back in with the Golbalist Government crowd.
Folks, these are the two countries you visit in Europe.
Populism term used by the source 41 immediately tells you where it’s coming from
The EU will just change the rules to pass the budget by a majority or a two thirds majority.
Poland and Hungary are among the few European nations who believe in their own national sovereignty. Trump is leveraging this and consequently supporting them with our military goods and services... pulling troops out of Germany.
Poland and Hungary are both great nations...They know what the state do to people...
God Bless HUNGARY!! They do not forget history! Traveled there! Love the country, and the “views”! They pushed the illegals North for the EU dip$hit$! Beer was preemo! Only country I would ever consider moving to, should the need arise!
Nice ... but once the EU gets its own army all bets are off.
Poland and Hungary should get out now while the getting is good.
The EU will just change the rules
True, but the break down will begin...
He is just one man. The rest is as corrupt as the EU.
Ending the effing NATO is the only solution.
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Brussels thinks it’s the Washington DC of Europe. Remember, our 50 States are the size of EU countries. Can you imagine how wonderful it would be if every state had veto over the fed budget? We did, until the assholian 17th ammendment. That was the single biggest mistake in our history, and all troubles stem from that hoorror show.
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