GETTY The EU has launched new legal action against Hungary

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EU officials have written to Budapest and Warsaw over apparent breaches of European law in a move which is likely to worsen their already frosty relations with Brussels. The EU Commission has warned Hungary that it must drop a controversial law designed to limit foreign funding of NGOs which firebrand PM Viktor Orban says are being used to undermine his government.

And on the same day eurocrats also ordered Poland to immediately stop logging in the Białowieża forest, the continent’s last primeval woodland which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Both Warsaw and Budapest are already involved in running battles with Brussels over a number of contentious issues including rule of law changes and migrant quotas.

GETTY Poland has been ordered to stop logging in the Białowieża forest

Western nations have responded to the pair’s refusal to take in refugees from Italy and Greece by threatening to cut off their development cash, leading to a cries of blackmail and a bitter stand-off. The new infringement measures, announced today, are only likely to lead to a further deterioration on relations with both states currently led by eurosceptic governments. They come at a time when eurocrats are desperately trying to keep a lid on divisions with the bloc and present a united front in the face of a number of crises including Brexit and increased migration. Hungary is being pursued over a new law designed to limit foreign funding of NGOs which is primarily targeted at charities run by the US-based billionaire George Soros.

Mr Orban has accused the financier of running a campaign to undermine his government and has recently paid for an attack advertising campaign against him which has been condemned worldwide as anti-semitic. Eurocrats said the new law introduces “unjustified and disproportionate restrictions” on the operations of NGOs, adding that it is “discriminatory” and will stop them helping people in need. First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said: “Civil society is the very fabric of our democratic societies and therefore should not be unduly restricted in its work. We have studied the new law on NGOs carefully and have come to the conclusion that it does not comply with EU law. “We expect that the Hungarian government will engage in a dialogue to resolve this issue as soon as possible. We await a reaction from the Hungarian authorities within a month.”

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