EU negotiations topic of talks between Polish, Hungarian PMs

Discussions between Polish Prime Minister Mateusz and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban concerning EU negotiations are currently underway via videoconference, announced the PM's Office on Twitter on Monday evening.

Government spokesperson Piotr Mueller has told PAP that the talks between the two prime ministers concern further issues related to EU negotiations. "But, apart from that, we cannot give any further details," he said.

A European Council summit is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, during which EU leaders will assess options to circumvent Hungary and Poland's veto to the European Union's multiannual financial framework package for the years 2012-2027 and a coronavirus recovery deal. The budget must be adopted in a package with the reconstruction fund which contains a provision that disbursements would be conditional on adherence to the rule of law.

Representatives of the Polish and Hungarian governments voted against the EU's historic EUR 1.8 trillion multi-annual financial framework and the recovery deal saying that the provision linking access to EU funds with the rule of law contains a solution that is not in line with EU treaties.

According to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, the mechanism contained in the regulation is arbitrary and can be used for political reasons, and therefore "would inevitably lead to the fragmentation of the European Union, and perhaps even to the disintegration of the Union."