Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said during a visit to Zagreb on Monday that the EU recovery fund was crucial for future generations and for the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and must not be blocked by Poland and Hungary.

“The EU recovery fund is crucial for the growth of our future generations and for the recovery from the pandemic. We cannot allow it to be blocked by a veto by two countries,” Di Maio said.

Hungary and Poland are blocking the adoption of the EU's seven-year budget and recovery plan because they disagree with a mechanism that ties the disbursement of EU funds to respect for the rule of law.

Vetoes by the two countries might delay the disbursement of €1.8 billion at a time when the EU is facing a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and a recession.

Hungary and Poland insist that the rule of law cannot be set as a condition for access to EU funding.

Last week European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested to Budapest and Warsaw to turn to the EU Court of Justice rather than block the financial package.

“For those who still have doubts, there is a clear way forward: they can go to the European Court of Justice and have the new rules checked. This is the place where we usually disagree on legal texts, and not at the expense of millions of Europeans who are urgently waiting for our help,” von der Leyen said.