By withholding funds for political reasons, Brussels also punishes the poorest.

In December 1992, the UN General Assembly declared October 17 as World Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Reducing the vulnerability of people living in poverty is a priority for all parts of the world, including all Member States of the European Union. Fidesz MEP Lívia Járóka said that by cutting off EU funds to which Member States are entitled, Brussels is also hampering efforts to help the poorest.

“The poorest regions have been particularly hard hit by the series of crises of recent years, and the geographical inequality and segregation of communities living in poor settlements and segregated areas appear to be deepening. In these areas, the provision of basic utilities and access to public services such as water, food, electricity, sanitation, and heating are lacking. Member States are taking action to improve the situation, but the EU must also contribute. It is unacceptable that we still face such challenges in the EU in 2023.” – said MEP Járóka.

“Several Member States, including Hungary, have made outstanding progress in this area, with measures and programmes to help people out of poverty. Compulsory pre-school education from the age of three, state-funded scholarship programmes, various tax breaks and exemptions for large families, as well as state-subsidised housing purchase programmes and loans, are among the measures that work particularly well.” – the MEP continued. “However, many national catch-up programmes have had to be stopped completely due to the freezing of funds. It is outrageous that Brussels is withholding EU funds that are rightly due. It is unacceptable that the most vulnerable and poorest groups in society are being punished by the freezing of funds.” – concluded the MEP.