Steven N.Katarina Barley, Vice President of the European Parliament, said that the request by the Hungarian state for billions of euros of aid in exchange for supporting the Russian oil embargo was “brazen.” She thinks that the European Union will have to decide on the sixth round of sanctions against Russia, which includes an embargo on oil, without involving Hungary.
In an interview with Deutschlandfunk, Barley said that there were four countries in the European Union that would be particularly hard hit by the effects of the oil embargo, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Bulgaria, but she believes the European Union is trying to find a solution to the problem.
She stated, however, that Hungary was taking advantage of this situation to “get more money,” since recovery funds to Hungary have been blocked “because of the lack of the rule of law.”
The money should now be provided to Hungary in a different way, which will land in the pockets of Orbán’s family and his organization.
-said Barley, adding that the other three countries were willing to cooperate.
The Vice President pointed out that Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that it would cost €15-18 billion (US $15.9-19.0 billion) for Hungary to develop its infrastructure to exclude the use of Russian oil. “It would be nice to know how they came up with this bill,” she added.
Just this month, we saw that the expansion and development of the entire highway system was once again given to Orbán’s best school friend, Mr. Mészaros, who is a plumber and the richest man in Hungary today.
-she stated, although Lőrinc Mészáros was in fact a gas-fitter before he became enriched by government contracts since Viktor Orbán came to power for the second time in 2010.
Barley noted that the highway tender was for 35 years and worth €14.4 billion ($15.2 billion), “so it is really an openly corrupt system. Everyone in Hungary knows this, and everyone in the EU knows it too.”
I find it brazen that they want €15-18 billion now, so that everyone knows where the money is going and who will be winning the tenders.
-she added. [Index]
