Hungary's Prime Minister-elect Meets EU Leaders
Hungary's Prime Minister-elect Péter Magyar has engaged with European Union leaders in Brussels for the first time following his Tisza party's decisive victory in the 12 April elections, which ended 16 years of governance by Viktor Orbán.
Following discussions with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which Magyar described as "extremely constructive and successful," he stated:
"In one sentence, EU resources will soon arrive in Hungary."
Magyar has committed to unlocking billions of euros in EU funds that have been withheld due to concerns over democratic regression and corruption allegations during Orbán's administration led by the Fidesz party.
Orbán, who conducted an election campaign largely critical of the EU, accused Magyar of being a Brussels puppet. In response, Magyar reassured the Hungarian public that the EU’s conditions would not conflict with Hungary’s national interests. He emphasized that the release of these funds would aid in revitalizing Hungary’s struggling economy, which has experienced minimal growth over the past three years.
Magyar’s party colleague, Márton Hajdu, clarified the conditions for the funds’ release:
"There should be no corruption, and the government should not interfere with the functioning of the courts."
However, Magyar faces the challenge of meeting these requirements promptly, as his new government will have limited time to implement necessary reforms.
EU Commission's Support and Upcoming Political Agreement
Von der Leyen remarked on the meeting, describing it as a "very good exchange" and affirmed that the EU Commission would support Hungary’s efforts to address these issues and realign with shared European values.
Although Magyar, aged 45, is scheduled to be sworn in on 9 May, he has pledged to begin work immediately. Notably, two days after his election victory, he contacted von der Leyen to advocate for the release of EU funds.
He announced plans to return to Brussels on 25 May to sign a political agreement.
Additionally, Magyar met with European Council President António Costa, who represents the EU’s 27 member states. Following the meeting, Magyar posted on social media:
"Hungary was, is and will be in Europe."
Financial Priorities and Reform Milestones
Magyar’s most pressing objective is to access €10.4 billion (£9 billion) from the EU’s Covid-19 recovery fund before its expiration at the end of August. This funding is contingent upon Hungary meeting a series of "super-milestones" related to anti-corruption and rule-of-law reforms, which were established as part of Hungary’s post-Covid recovery plan in 2022.
In addition, Magyar aims to secure €6.3 billion in cohesion funds that have been blocked due to rule-of-law concerns originating from Orbán’s tenure, which the incoming government has pledged to address.
Beyond these funds, Hungary could gain access to €16.1 billion in low-interest EU defense loans and intends to halt a €1 million daily fine imposed for breaching EU migration regulations.
Parliamentary Majority and EU Relations
Magyar is well-positioned to implement reforms within the Hungarian parliament, having obtained a "super-majority" of two-thirds of the seats, enabling constitutional amendments.
His Tisza party, established just over two years ago, secured 141 of the 199 seats in the National Assembly in the recent election.
There is also notable goodwill from other EU leaders toward Magyar’s incoming government. Recently, Orbán’s veto on a €90 billion loan to Ukraine was lifted at an informal EU summit, which the outgoing prime minister did not attend.
Magyar has sought to improve relations with Kyiv by proposing a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in early June, to be held in Berehove, a town in southwestern Ukraine with a significant Hungarian population.
