Orban: Govt to set up own pandemic recovery fund

Hungary's government has decided to set up its own post-pandemic recovery fund within the state budget's economy protection fund and pre-finance projects that would be paid for by the European recovery fund, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday. In his regular interview to public broadcaster Kossuth Radio, Orban said the European Union was seeking a two-month delay in the talks on Hungary's recovery plan. The most important aspect of the European recovery fund is that it is fast, the prime minister said, adding that delaying the payments called into question the essence of the fund. Hungary is entitled to the recovery funds, Orban said.