Left-wing German MEP Daniel Freund has taken to social media to plead for the European Union to fill the funding gap left by USAID’s withdrawal from Hungary.
The Greens/European Free Alliance member’s call on X on February 6 came in response to US tech billionaire-turned-US-government-official Elon Musk’s decision to slash USAID funding worldwide.
Freund pointed out the US government had previously pumped “several million dollars per year” into what he described as “rule of law, anti-corruption and pro-democracy programmes” in Hungary.
Hungarian Government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács was quick to fire back, mocking the MEP’s outrage.
“Well, well, well — looks like the #USAID ‘nirvana’ for the European Left is coming to an end,” he wrote on X.
He argued that, under the guise of fighting “corruption” and defending the “rule of law,” these USAID funds were really being used to prop up a liberal system designed to distort Hungarian democracy.
Freund insisted that with Washington cutting funding NGOs would be left high and dry.
“With this money gone for NGOs, guess who’s gonna benefit?,” he said, before insisting: “It should be the duty of the EU to fill this funding gap.”
Freund also warned that without external oversight, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his allies would, in his words, likely “plunder” even more EU funds.
“If only the EU would cancel the Orbán government subscription to EU funds,” said Freund, referring to Washington cutting government agencies and civil servant subscriptions to US political news outlet Politico Pro.
The online tit-for-tats escalated, with Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party in the European Parliament claiming Freund’s comments were proof of “US meddling” in Hungarian politics.
“Thank you, MEP Freund, for confirming the robust, intensive attempts to interfere in Hungarian politics from the US,” a Fidesz statement read.
“You also confirmed that overruling the will of Hungarian voters will be an EU policy. That is true democracy! Wait! No, it isn’t,” it added.
Freund is known for his anti-Orbán position. During Hungary’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, he called the Hungarian PM the “most corrupt politician”.
Tensions were running high in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday morning with the EU’s top bureaucrats and politicians turning on Hungary as it tried to present its plan for the EU presidency. https://t.co/LHmDYxTnJo
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) October 9, 2024
