Hungary's recovery plan received the same grade as 23 others

Only three recovery plans, those submitted by Belgium, Estonia and the Czech Republic, scored worse than Hungary, which received exactly the same rating as the plans of 23 other Member States – fact-checking portal Lakmusz found. Both Tibor Navracsics, Minister for Regional Development and the Use of EU Funds and Justice Minister Judit Varga have recently claimed that Hungary's recovery plan was among the best according to the European Commission's assessment.

During their checking, Lakmusz found that the Hungarian plan received an A for 10 out of 11 criteria and a B for the justification of costs, just like 23 other countries. The things examined were whether the plan provides a balanced response to the economic and social situation, whether it adequately addresses country-specific recommendations addressed to member states, how it contributes to economic growth and job creation.

It was also considered whether it causes significant environmental damage and if it contributes adequately to the green transition, whether it makes an adequate contribution to the digital switchover, whether it has a lasting impact on the member state's economy. Whether the milestones and targets set ensure that the plan is implemented, the cost justification is reasonable, the control systems are suitable for preventing and detecting corruption, and the plans contain coherent measures is also taken into account.

Zsolt Darvas, economist and researcher at the Bruegel Institute, addressed this issue in a presentation to the European Parliament at the end of October. In response to a request from Lakmusz, the economist added that the Commission had given the Hungarian plan a grade lower than the others in one very important respect, namely that the plan requires the fulfilment of 27 super-milestones. A similar condition had previously only been set for Poland, but the number of milestones was lower.