Hungary & Poland claim victory as EU delays rule-of-law conditions for getting recovery funds

Poland, Hungary and the Netherlands claimed victory on Tuesday after a European Union summit left as an open matter how a new coronavirus recovery fund may be tied to members' democratic values.

EU leaders negotiated a €750 billion ($859 billion) post-pandemic fund and a €1.1 trillion budget after almost five days of talks in Brussels. Conditions for rule-of-law-linked payouts were not detailed in the final statement.

“In our conclusions we are committed to accept and protect… the principles of respect for the rule of law,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. However, the conclusion's vague language paled in comparison to earlier promises of tough conditions, Reuters said.

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban told reporters he had “thwarted and repelled” efforts to tie disbursement of funds to democratic values. Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki hailed the “whole architecture of supervision” as a success.