EU Bloc Might Take Diversion Route Around Hungary Poland Resistance To Covid-19 Recovery Package

EU Bloc Might Take Diversion: European leaders might have no choice but to bypass the disgruntled countries Hungary and Poland. Their efforts to get going with the urgent post Covid-19 recovery funds. 

Strangely, both these nations are the biggest beneficiaries of the European subsidies. Yet they are holding the rest of the 25 EU nations to ransom, over an argument that the rule of the law must not be applicable on them anymore. 

The EU bloc has created an autonomous system of judging good governance through the rule of the law, something that the whole bloc has adhered to. However, Hungary and Poland have their reasons to revolt against it. They have indulged in unfair and discriminatory actions against certain ethnic groups in their country. There has been systematic violation of human rights too; something the EU bloc has been vehemently opposed to. 

There has been war of words against the rule of law going on for decades, but to the dismay of both these overtly conservative dictatorial leaders, EU bloc has never succumbed to their political pressure. 

As the situation stands now, there are three more value creating ‘bypass’ routes being discussed. The former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt has suggested one. He is a leading liberal in the European Parliament. According to Verhofstadt, the EU bloc could think of launching the recovery fund as a so-called enhanced cooperation among a group of only ‘willing states’ under the EU’s Lisbon Treaty.

Going outside the treaty signed with Hungary and Poland. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has suggested a more radical approach of “re-establishing the EU without Hungary and Poland” or implementing the entire recovery package outside the existing treaties via an agreement among the 25 other governments. Nevertheless, any of the suggested deviations will come with legal ramifications.

It is being advised that the 25 European nations that are in tandem with the €1.8 trillion long-term budget and coronavirus recovery fund, should keep their safety net spread out- start the legal drafting work to establish the recovery fund outside the EU framework. But this should be treated as the last resort.