Poland, Hungary must address rule of law issues before recovery money payout - EU

The European Commission is still withholding its approval to pay out recovery money to Poland and Hungary because the two countries have yet to address EU recommendations on the rule of law, European Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said on Friday.

"I hope that we can be able to make progress in the near future, but we are not yet there," Gentiloni told a news conference following a meeting of eurozone finance ministers in the Slovenian town of Brdo.

The European Union executive is at loggerheads with Poland and Hungary over issues ranging from LGBT rights to press freedoms. In July it launched legal action against both countries over measures it says discriminate against the gay community.