Some MEPs have warned the European Commission against unblocking billions of euros for Hungary, saying Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is violating democratic norms.
This was reported by the Reuters agency.
Next week, the European Commission is expected to approve Hungary's allocation of funds worth up to a tenth of the country's estimated GDP in 2022, after Budapest takes steps to fight corruption and guarantee the independence of the judiciary.
MEPs representing the Socialists and Democrats faction in the European Parliament, as well as representatives of the liberal Renew and Greens parties, said the latest changes made by Orbán's government are not enough to ensure a healthy democracy in Hungary.
"The Hungarian government does not respect the rule of law. The right decision is to approve the freezing of funds," said Eider Gardiazabal Rubial, a social democrat from Spain.
"The money has to be frozen once and for all, it's the only language Orbán understands," said Daniel Freund, a German Green and former Transparency International campaigner.
The EU believes that in order to blackmail the European Commission, Hungary decided to block other unrelated decisions, from the minimum global corporate tax to the long-term support program for Ukraine in the amount of 18 billion euros.
According to the media, the European Commission is preparing next week to approve the allocation of Hungary for a total amount of up to 14.7 billion euros.