Hungary denies tying Nato expansion to EU spat but still delays

Hungary denied it’s holding up the Nato entry bids of Finland and Sweden as part of its fight over billions of euros in European Union aid but won’t vote on expanding the military alliance until it passes laws tied to the cash.

Finland and Sweden, which are also EU members, will cast votes when the bloc decides next month on whether 7.5 billion euros ($7.5 billion) earmarked for Hungary should be frozen or if Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government has done enough to allay concerns over rampant graft.

“Just as we can always count on our allies, they can also count on us,” Cabinet Minister Gergely Gulyas said on Wednesday, when asked about ratifying the two countries’ entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The two processes are unrelated, he said.

Hungary and Turkey are the only two remaining holdouts on ratification. Facing pressure from Natoleaders to give a green light, Orban’s ministers say parliament is too busy to deal with anything unrelated to the EU dispute. When asked why lawmakers don’t plan to vote on Nato expansion soon, Gulyas smiled, shrugged and said it was down to “work organization.”

The 16 bills up for debate this week range from one on Hungary’s 800 year-old Golden Bull, its version of the Magna Carta, as well as legislation related to defense, waste management and nuclear power.

Parliament will try to ratify the Nato expansion bids by end-year, Gulyas said

—Bloomberg