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Viktor Orbán threatens to veto the extension of EU sanctions

22 February 2023 18:50 (UTC +04:00)

Hungary’s Viktor Orbán is again threatening to veto the extension of EU sanctions — which have to be renewed every six months — because he wants four individuals removed from the list, APA reports citing POLITCO..

Hungary is also opposing a proposal — backed by all other countries — to prolong the extension period from six to 12 months, which would give Budapest fewer opportunities to torpedo the sanctions and derail EU decisions.

On Tuesday, ambassadors failed to strike a compromise with Hungary. Two diplomats said the EU was ready to give in to Orbán’s demands and remove the four people from the sanctions list, because if Hungary continues to use its veto, all of the already-sanctioned individuals would have to be de-listed. The EU has sanctioned more than 1,400 people in relation to Russia’s war, including oligarchs, members of Russia’s parliament, military and security officials, and Russian administrators in Ukraine’s occupied territories.

One diplomat argued there are also legal concerns about whether sanctions against those four individuals would hold up in court.

But removing those four names was not enough for Hungary, the two diplomats said, because the country is also opposing the proposed 12-month renewal period. A tentative compromise that ambassadors will discuss today involves moving to nine-month renewal periods (rather than the current six months).