EU holds back all of Hungary's cohesion funds over rights concerns

FILE PHOTO: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends the autumn session of parliament in Budapest, Hungary, September 26, 2022. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Thursday it would hold back all 22 billion euros of EU cohesion funds for Hungary until its government meets conditions related to judiciary independence, academic freedoms, LGBTQI rights and the asylum system.

EU institutions had already decided on Dec. 12 to freeze 6.3 billion euros of the funds until the right-wing and eurosceptic government of Viktor Orban meets an even tougher set of 17 conditions also linked to the judiciary and dealing with corruption at high levels.