Orbán threatens to block the EU budget with the support of his Visegrád Group allies

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has made clear its intention to resist pressure from Brussels and is prepared to block the European Union’s upcoming budget, joining forces with its Visegrád Group allies: Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, speaking in an interview with Polish broadcaster Telewizja wPolsce24, emphasized that the Visegrád Group has enough influence to halt the EU’s next financial framework—provided the four nations act in unison. “The next European budget must be approved unanimously” by all EU member states,” Orbán stated. “We have elections in April next year. President Kaczyński and Prime Minister Morawiecki will return to power in Poland. Andrej Babiš will win in the Czech Republic in October, and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is strong enough to remain. Then, the four of us, as the Visegrád Group, will be able to stop the reckless ideas behind this project.”

Orbán’s main concern centers on the budget’s prioritization of Ukraine over internal EU needs. According to the Hungarian leader, nearly one-third of the proposed budget would be allocated directly to Ukraine or used to repay the EU’s collective debt incurred to support Kyiv. He argues that this focus diverts crucial funds away from the Union’s own member states.

In a recent speech, Orbán criticized the proposal, saying, “This is not a European budget, but a budget for Ukraine.” He warned that approving such a budget would weaken the financial stability of EU countries already facing economic pressures.

This escalating opposition sets the stage for a tense negotiation in Brussels, with Hungary and its Visegrád partners poised to challenge the direction of EU financial policy and potentially stall one of the bloc’s most critical decisions for the coming years.