Poland, Hungary face EU regional funds blockage over fundamental rights charter

Respect for the EU charter of fundamental rights could be used to withhold EU money going to projects that trample over democracy or discriminate on the basis of gender or race, an EU official has said.

Under a deal struck in December, the European Parliament pushed through a reference to the European Charter of Fundamental Rights and adherence to gender equality and non-discrimination in how EU funds are spent, euractiv.com reports.

Those provisions «could be a potential hook» to «withhold money if we see that something is not going in the right direction», said an EU official when asked how the European Commission could prevent money going to projects that chip away at democratic institutions.