BRUSSELS: Hungary and Poland blocked approval on Monday of the EU's long-term budget and coronavirus rescue -- a 1.8-trillion-euro package -- and plunged the bloc into political crisis. Warsaw and Budapest oppose tying EU funding to respect for the rule of law and their envoys vetoed any decision to proceed -- effectively blocking the bloc's virus strategy. "We have already lost a lot of time in view of the second pandemic wave and the severe economic damage," warned German ambassador Michael Clauss, who chaired the meeting. "It is crucial that the entire package is now adopted quickly, otherwise the EU will face a serious crisis." Germany holds the EU's rotating presidency and wants to resolve the battle over the budget and recovery before its six months are up at the end of the year. The matter will now be taken up by ministers from member states meeting by
videoconference on Tuesday to prepare the ground for an EU leaders' summit on Thursday.
"We will now continue our intensive consultations with all parties involved," Clauss said.
The vetoes triggered outrage in Brussels. Manfred Weber, leader of the centre-right group in the European Parliament, declared: "If you respect the rule of law there is nothing to fear.
"Denying the whole of Europe crisis funding in the worst crisis since decades is irresponsible." But Hungary was unrepentant. "Hungary has vetoed the budget," Zoltan Kovacs, a spokesman for Prime Minister Viktor Orban said, arguing that the package must reflect a deal areached in July.
"We cannot support the plan in its present form to tie rule of law criteria to budget decisions," he said.
EU leaders thought they had resolved dispute over the seven-year EU budget and associated stimulus plan at a marathon four-day-and-night summit in July.
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