Orban Drops $4 Billion Plan for Covid Cash That Alarmed EU
- EU had vowed to scrutinize request to fund college foundations
- Hungary’s opposition says foundations will be hotbed for graft
Viktor Orban
Photographer: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Hungary unexpectedly dropped a request to channel billions of euros from the European Union’s pandemic recovery fund to finance controversial university foundations led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s allies.
The reversal came after Bloomberg reported Wednesday that the EU’s executive would scrutinize Hungary’s request to channel $4 billion of the bloc’s stimulus money into the “renewal of universities.” A dozen European Parliament members urged the EU on Monday to block the funding, saying the outlays would be shielded from public scrutiny and vulnerable to graft.