When I started my mandate in the 🇪🇺Parliament 3.5 years ago, the undertaking was considered hopeless by many. Someone like Orban was unmanageable. The resistance in the Council was too big, Orban too powerful with his veto, and von der Leyen too unwilling to take action. /1
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/daniel_freund/status/1606255358548115456
But we did it! There are now 6.3 billion euros of EU money to the Orban government frozen - another 5.8 billion from the Corona Fund are also being withheld. The reason: massive violations of the rule of law in Hungary. /2
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/daniel_freund/status/1606255586898649093
This is a groundbreaking success. And it was a gruelling political struggle that I was able to accompany as a Green member of the European Parliament's negotiating team. /3
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/daniel_freund/status/1606255840654139392
The European Parliament is considered by some to be the weakest EU institution. But in this fight for Europe's values, it has prevailed. In the past years, we have done one thing above all: pressure. We were always one step ahead of the EU Commission. /4
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/daniel_freund/status/1606256084707991552
Our expert opinions have shown that Orban fulfils all the conditions for EU funds to be cut off from him. We have shown that only a freeze of ALL EU funds to Hungary is appropriate. We have made it clear that the sham reforms in Budapest fall well short of the mark. /5
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/daniel_freund/status/1606256193709608960
All this before the EU Commission could speak out on the matter. When the silence became too loud, we took the Von der Leyen Commission to the European Court of Justice for inaction in protecting the rule of law. /6
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/daniel_freund/status/1606256259174465536
I have learned a lot in these years: how important it is that a pro-European majority in parliament sticks together. How important the expertise of civil society is. How central it is that the public knows what is happening in Brussels and what is happening in Hungary. /7
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/daniel_freund/status/1606256610308825090
We have always made a difference when politics left the negotiating room. When it was open and transparent. You helped to spread information via email + social media. You have signed petitions. You discussed the issue at events and helped to build the necessary public pressure /8
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/daniel_freund/status/1606257172790157314
I have travelled to Hungary 6 times in the past 3 years. I got input from our partners in the Hungarian Greens and in civil society. I have spoken on stage for the united opposition with the prime ministerial candidate in the election campaign. /9
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/daniel_freund/status/1606257460943024129
Opposition members, refugees and journalists have told me first-hand what it means when billions disappear and they get hammered for it. /10
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/daniel_freund/status/1606257560583020547
A big thank you to everyone who has supported our work on this. Without you it would not have been possible. @TerryReintke @AlexandraGeese @SLagodinsky @chantal_kopf @AnnaLuehrmann @ADimitrovs @Zita_tiz @moritzkoerner @EGardiazabal @katka_cseh @petrisarvamaa @rdanielkelemen /12
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/daniel_freund/status/1606258790512435201
@KimLaneLaw @JMorijn @Transparency_HU @hhc_helsinki @k_monitor @martapardavi and many many many many more. /end
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/daniel_freund/status/1606259753339932673
This is also a success of the Greens - in the European Parliament, in the European member states and in Germany. It is now clear:
Autocrats in the EU will have EU funds frozen. /11
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/daniel_freund/status/1606258060166569987