Opposition politicians and civic groups say wasteful spending and suspected corruption warrant closer oversight of Hungary’s use of EU funds. So far Hungary has rejected joining the European office, citing national sovereignty concerns and even misgivings about its quality. The list of renovations and constructions in Budapest, the Hungarian capital, which were partly funded by the EU is long and imposing. EU funds covered between 39 and 89 percent of those projects’ total costs. “The investments are frequently overpriced, costing much more than initial estimates.”There are numerous white elephants in Hungary’s EU projects, too, ones built with the only apparent purpose of using up as much EU funds as possible, Erdelyi said.

Source: Washington Post March 17, 2019 12:10 UTC