European Union's long-term budget blocked by Hungary, Poland over rule-of-law clause

Hungary and Poland have blocked European Union's seven-year budget over a clause that me access to funding conditional on basis of herence to democratic rms. As per BCC reports, $2.1 trillion budget that also included an $889 billion COVID-19 recovery fund was vetoed by Hungary and Poland on Monday over rule-of-law clause. 

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ambassors, who met via videoconference, passed rule-of-law mechanism as it only required support of a qualified majority. But Hungary and Poland decided to vote against long-term EU budget, which required unanimous support, in order to block progress. Representatives of two nations also blocked pass of new EU taxes that were meant to support increase in funding. 

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According to Guardian, Zoltan Kovacs, a spokesman for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said that his country couldn't support plan in its present form because of rule-of-law clause connected to budget decisions. Orban, whose government is accused of violating democratic rms in country, h earlier said that he cant support plan because of vaguely defined rule-of-law clause. 

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'Hungary, Poland afraid' 

However, Rasmus Andresen, a Green Member of European Parliament, has slammed Orban and Polish government saying that y are afraid because new mechanism would harm ir authoritarian regime. Rasmus Andresen also fears that blocke would furr harm alrey deteriorating ecomy of region that has been deeply hampered by ongoing pandemic. 

introduction of rule-of-law mechanism was triggered after Poland brought in a series of judicial reforms, which EU alleges is against bloc's democratic principles. Hungary has also been accused of undermining independence of judiciary in country by recent reforms. 

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(Im Credit: AP)