EU green recovery stuck in a loop

Hungary and Poland blocked the approval of the EU’s seven-year budget and the recovery fund totalling €1.81 trillion, as both countries continued to oppose the rule of law mechanism attached to the EU funds.  The veto – which could still be overcome at the level of EU27 national leaders – further complicates the arrival of the badly needed EU funds in hard-hit countries like Spain or Italy, at a time when the pandemic continues to spread across Europe and the reinstalled restrictive measures are hampering the recovery.