Hungary PM says can support EU recovery plan with conditions

Hungary can support the European Union's funding distribution plan if it does not favour rich countries unfairly, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Thursday after a meeting of the Visegrad Four leaders of the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia.

Orban, a staunch critic of the EU, said he would set aside his general aversion to funding anything using loans, as "desperate times require desperate measures. We can accept that. We look at that positively but a lot of changes are needed."

He said rich countries receiving more funds than poor ones was "absurd" and had to be changed, the funds should be utilised more flexibly and the system of rebates from EU contributions should be abolished after Brexit.