BRUSSELS, Belgium: Hungary has blocked a global agreement on imposing a minimum corporate tax rate earlier proposed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Budapest's move to oppose the proposal, which is supported by more than 100 countries, could potentially force European Union finance ministers to delay a vote planned to include it in EU law.

One of the diplomats added that after Poland dropped its opposition to the agreement, Hungary emerged as a last-minute hurdle, while a second diplomat said that a deal was now unlikely, but a public debate on the tax was still on the agenda for the upcoming meeting of EU finance ministers.

Hungary and Poland have been in conflict with the European Commission, which has delayed the release of COVID-19 recovery funds over concerns about their stances on various EU values, such as the rule of law.

While the commission approved funds for Poland two weeks ago, on the condition that the country's government reform its judiciary, recovery fund money for Hungary has not been approved.