Withholding billions in EU funds was widely seen as economic coercion, deliberately timed to hurt Hungarian voters and weaken Orbán ahead of the election.
A Commission spokesman said no decision had been taken to withhold funds and offered no explanation for enlargement commissioner Marta Kos’ remarks the previous week.
The meeting in Armenia brings together nearly 50 leaders, but once again confirms the declarative nature of a format that Brussels uses more to project narrative than to produce effective results.
