Several European “green” initiatives have provoked resentment in Hungarian government circles. The outrage is mainly due to the European Parliament having failed to endorse a European Council proposal on a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2023-2027. The debate is over the greening of direct payments to farmers, where the Council proposed 20% of the payments going to mandatory eco-friendly farming, while the Parliament insisted on 30%.
After four days of intense negotiations, no compromise was reached. Hungary has criticized the European Parliament for going too far in its demands, pointing out that it’s not the MEPs but the national governments which have to face the actual consequences of such decisions. Farming provides jobs and a livelihood for a lot of people, and due to restrictive policies, EU countries could suffer comparative disadvantages vis-à-vis non-EU regions, critics say.
Sources: Euractiv, Mandiner.hu
The EU can formally begin accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) when a stable…
Estonia has surged to second place in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, its best-ever…
Czechia has halted imports of Russian crude oil delivered via the Druzhba pipelinefor the first…
Far-right leader George Simion surged to a clear lead in the first round of Romania’s…
Workers in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) enjoy some of the lowest personal income tax…
The Baltic states are stepping up their air, missile and drone defence capabilities, as Estonia,…