Over 60% of Hungarians accuse EU of double standards: Poll

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
15 Jan 2023 09:32
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A Hungarian pollster reveals that 74% of Hungarians oppose the bloc’s freezing of funds for Hungary.

European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium May 5, 2021 (Reuters)

Nearly two-thirds of Hungarians oppose the European Union's decision to freeze about $6.8 billion in EU funds for Hungary and believe that the bloc is using double standards, a survey conducted by Hungarian pollster Szazadveg reveals.

EU countries reached a deal with Budapest on December 12 to decrease the amount of EU funds to Hungary, which had been frozen over concerns that the money may aid graft in the country, from 7.5 billion euros to 6.3 billion euros.

The decision was made so that Budapest would lift its veto on an EU aid package for Ukraine, according to US media.

An opinion poll, conducted by Szazadveg this month, revealed that 74% of Hungarians oppose the bloc’s freezing of funds for Hungary and 64% believe that the European Union is using double standards with respect to Hungary and other member states.

60% of the survey’s 1,000 participants said that the bloc is attempting to "punish" Hungary by freezing the funds, meanwhile, 36% of Hungarians believe that the European Union is trying to reach a compromise with Budapest.

This comes after Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban stressed on Friday that the European Union's sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine war are a mistake and should be ended.

Speaking to Hungarian state radio, Orban considered that if the anti-Russian sanctions are lifted, energy prices and inflation would fall in half, adding that a political decision must be taken by the EU in this regard.

"It is certain that America won the war and Europe lost. There’s a debate over whether Russia won or lost. If we talk in terms of money, we can’t say that Russia lost too much,'' the Hungarian Prime Minister pointed out.

Earlier this week, Budapest slammed the European Commission after it decided to withhold grants from Hungarian universities as "unacceptable and intolerable" in the latest spat between the two sides.