The EC has postponed the decision approving Hungary's recovery plan

The European Commission (EC) has postponed a decision to approve billions of euros for Hungary as part of an aid package to revive its economy, in an effort to get concessions from Budapest on the rule of law. Hungary is to receive € 7.2 billion in incentives from European Union funds to kick-start economic growth following the new coronavirus pandemic. Funding will only start flowing after the European Commission accepts, among other things, national plans that reveal how members of the bloc want to spend money to ensure the digital and green transition. However, the Commission is also using this money as leverage to enforce the rule of law, an area where disputes are taking place between the EU and the increasingly authoritarian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Commission spokeswoman Ariana Podest said on Monday that Brussels was still analyzing the plan presented by Budapest and could propose a longer postponement if she considered that it needed "months rather than days" to decide. The spokeswoman declined to provide further details, but Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said last week that the Commission was "working on aspects related to the rule of law". The Commission has long called on Hungary to improve its public procurement process in the fight against "systemic irregularities" or fraud. Orbán has also angered many of its EU colleagues in recent weeks with new legislation aimed at people belonging to the LGBTIQ community.