MNI BRIEF: EU Sees Orban Workaround At Defence Summit
MNI (BRUSSELS) - European Union officials working on the draft communique for Thursday's defence summit are hopeful they can work around Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's refusal to back continuing military support for Ukraine.
Draft summit conclusions seen by MNI call on states to do the heavy lifting in terms of boosting defence spending and request the European Commission to recommend a "way forward without delay on the use of flexibilities" within fiscal rules. (See MNI: European Commission Eyes EUR100Bln Defence Tool-Source)
The draft also the Commission to propose additional funding for defence at EU level, including flexible use of structural funds, while the European Investment Bank is asked to adapt its lending practices to the defence sector by "re-evaluating the list of excluded activities".
One source told MNI leaders might resort to a "statement of the 26", a workaround used at past summits to circumvent Orban. Objections by Slovak PM Robert Fico's can also be addressed, officials believe.