Support for Hungary during the COVID-19 crisis

Subject: Support for Hungary during the COVID-19 crisis

The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said multiple times that during the COVID-19 crisis, the EU has provided no help to Hungary, despite the country’s needs. Hungary has received aid from China and the Turkic Council in the form of tests and personal protective equipment.

Prime Minister Orbán is instrumentalising this issue to criticise the European Union and tarnish the image of European solidarity.

In the light of the above, I would like to ask the Commission the following.

1. Did Hungary receive any form of support under the rescEU programme or other instruments aimed at tackling the pandemic or its consequences?

2. If so, what kind of support was it and what did it consist of?

Answer given by Mr Lenarčič on behalf of the European Commission

(10 November 2020)

The deployment of capacities from the European Civil Protection Pool or from rescEU under the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) always follows an official request for assistance. Hungary did not request any assistance for the COVID-19 emergency from the UCPM.

However, Hungary successfully applied to host rescEU medical stockpiles and is, since September 2020, one of six Member States that now host strategic rescEU medical stockpiles. Through a grant agreement with the Commission, Hungary will procure, maintain and ensure the deployability of medical equipment for intensive care (ventilators, patient monitors, infusion pumps, etc.) during the 5 years for which the agreement was signed.

Hungary did not request any assistance for COVID-19 from the mobility package under the Emergency Support Instrument.

The EU Cohesion policy response to the COVID-19 included flexibilities for Member States introduced by the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiatives (CRII (1) and CRII+ (2)). Hungary decided to use two CRII options. Firstly, it had moved its eight Operational Programmes to 100% co-financing (from 85% in developing regions and 50% in the more developed Central-Hungary region). This increased co-financing generated EUR 214 million in extra payments for already submitted claims.

Secondly, using the flexibility mechanisms, Hungary decided to re-target about EUR 660 million to launch several crisis-related calls to finance projects, mainly in the following areas: (i) supporting small and medium-sized enterprises’ working capital or investments (ii), support for developments of micro and small enterprises operating in disadvantaged settlements (iii), and emergency wage support.

⋅1∙ Regulation (EU) 2020/460 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 March 2020 amending Regulations (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013 and

(EU) No 508/2014 as regards specific measures to mobilise investments in the healthcare systems of Member States and in other sectors of their economies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak (Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative). ⋅2∙ Regulation (EU) 2020/558 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2020 amending Regulations (EU) No 1301/2013 and (EU) No 1303/2013 as

regards specific measures to provide exceptional flexibility for the use of the European Structural and Investments Funds in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.