Hungary's PM says he will conclude political deal on EU funds with von der Leyen
The deal could release more than 10 billion euros in recovery money if Hungary meets rule-of-law reforms and anti-corruption conditions, officials said.
- Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar will travel to Brussels on Friday to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, seeking a 'political agreement' aimed at resetting Hungary's relationship with the EU following his Tisza Party's sweeping April election victory over Viktor Orbán's nationalist government.
- Hungary faces a critical end-of-August deadline to unlock €17 billion in frozen EU funds, with Magyar's most pressing priority securing access to the €10.4 billion allocated under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which Hungary risks losing entirely if conditions remain unmet.
- The €10.4 billion recovery package comprises €6.5 billion in non-repayable grants and €3.9 billion in loans; Budapest is revising its national recovery plan to prioritise railway projects, energy infrastructure and rental housing, with submission timing uncertain between Friday and early June.
- EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law Michael McGrath stated on Tuesday that it is 'encouraging to see the commitment and dedication of the new Hungarian government to swiftly proceed with rule-of-law reforms,' though one funding tranche requires amending anti-LGBTQ+ and asylum legislation.
- Beyond recovery funds, Magyar and von der Leyen will address Ukraine's EU membership bid, contingent on Hungary lifting its veto if Kyiv addresses Hungarian minority language rights in Transcarpathia; EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos expects to greenlight the first chapter in June.
91 Articles
91 Articles
With a new prime minister, Hungary will be able to get frozen European funds if it quickly adopts decisive reforms.
The very large figure represents 13% of the Hungarian annual budget but, above all, the agreement means the return of the country to the rules, to the reforms and even to the European values. Read
The EU has announced the release of more than EUR 16 billion of frozen funding for Hungary, to boost the Hungarian economy.
This concerns €10 billion from the recovery fund and €6 billion from the EU budget, including cohesion funds. These funds were frozen during Viktor Orban's government due to violations of the rule of law and a lack of judicial independence. READ ALSO: Magyar cleans up Orban's mess. Russian influence in Hungary targeted. Until the last minute, it was unclear whether the Commission would agree to unblock the funds. Although Brussels was pleased wi…
Hungary's new Prime Minister must quickly implement reforms in order to receive blocked EU billions. Commissioner von der Leyen meets him.
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