This week, the Beyond the Byline podcast delves into the European Commission's recent decision to approve the release of 920 million euros as part of Hungary's recovery and resilience plan.

The decision raises concerns over incomplete achievements in areas such as judicial independence and anti-corruption measures. Commissioner Hahn's recent report acknowledges progress but underscores unmet milestones. Beyond the €900 million disbursement, a critical question emerges: Is Hungary, led by Viktor Orbán, strategically wielding its veto power on budget issues and Ukraine support to influence the release of €13 billion in cohesion funding? 

This potential manoeuvre is viewed as a substantial threat to recent strides in EU rule-of-law progress.

We asked Moritz Körner, MEP with the Renew Europe Group, about the Parliament's concerns regarding the rule of law and whether this decision is setting a precedent for other European countries that fail to meet the rule of law requirements.