Hungary is officially upbeat about its agreement with Russia to expand the Paks-2 nuclear plant. But behind the hurrah-optimism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban and government officials, the 12 billion euro contract with Rosatom is encountering stiff resistance at home and abroad, writes GIS guest expert Peter Juhasz.
<i>Criticism has focused not just on the project’s environmental and economic risks, but also on its potential violation of European Union competition and procurement rules. That makes Paks-2 an important test case for the EU’s credibility. A vigorous attempt by Brussels to enforce the rules and hold up the project will infuriate Russia and may wel...
