“We Germans—in the West and in the East—have linked Hungary to hope, Europe, freedom, and resistance,” said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul at a joint press conference with Anita Orbán at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Budapest. The two foreign ministers also discussed common challenges, revitalizing relations, and economic issues.

Anita Orbán recalled that they had officially met for the first time in Berlin in June. “It is a great pleasure that you have reciprocated this visit so quickly,” the Hungarian Foreign Minister said. She announced that a Hungarian delegation would be making another visit to Berlin on November 9–10, the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Péter Magyar will meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at that time, and Magyar will then deliver the so-called “Europe Speech” at the annual conference of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

Anita Orbán announced that they would also hold the German-Hungarian forum. This event is held every year, but it has been a long time since the two countries’ foreign ministers co-hosted it. “These two events also demonstrate that we are working to revitalize our relationship,” Anita Orbán pointed out.

The Foreign Minister said that Germany is Hungary’s most important trading partner, which is why economic cooperation is also important. She also mentioned that they would like to expand cooperation beyond the automotive industry to include the electronics and defense sectors. There are currently 2,200 German companies operating in Hungary, employing a total of 230,000 people.

Orbán added that cultural ties between the two countries are also important, as evidenced by the fact that German-language education is available in Hungary from kindergarten through the PhD level. She and her German counterpart agreed to organize a joint Hungarian-German cultural season in 2028, “which will demonstrate the depth of our cultural ties,” he said.

They also discussed common challenges, as Anita Orbán noted that the country’s return to Europe cannot be understood without improving relations between the two countries. They also addressed EU enlargement, the Western Balkans, and the attack on Leipzig.

According to the Hungarian minister, the attack on Leipzig also demonstrated the need for joint European action against hybrid attacks and acts of sabotage.

Johann Wadephul said that this was a special day for him—and not just for him, but for German-Hungarian relations as well. He considers it inconceivable that two EU partner countries, two NATO members, and two good friends would go so long—that is, seven years—without consulting at the ministerial level. It is no coincidence that they had so many things to discuss. He said he wanted to determine what they can do now that Hungary has rediscovered its European heart.

The German minister recalled the times when, because Germany was divided, his grandparents and cousins could only meet in Hungary. “There was no other country these people could meet in,” said Wadephul, who believes this is why Germans in both the West and the East have associated Hungary with hope, Europe, freedom, and resistance.

Johann Wadephul said that they have identified specific areas where the two countries can work together, and that the ministries will hold regular consultations. They also intend to consult regularly on strategic issues. According to Johann Wadephul, it is time to get more out of Hungarian-German economic relations than has been the case so far, which is why he brought an economic delegation along to conduct further negotiations. According to the minister, there is even greater potential for joint work primarily in the automotive industry, but cooperation could also be expanded to other sectors, such as communications, infrastructure, and the defense industry.

According to the German Foreign Minister, their talks touched on the need to make Europe’s energy supply more resilient and to end dependence on Russia. “Diversification is not a simple process, but it pays off,” Wadephul noted.

Following the two ministers’ remarks, in response to a question, Anita Orbán said that the Hungarian government’s position on European Union enlargement remains unchanged: it supports merit-based accession. The Foreign Minister also noted that expert-level negotiations will continue this week on the legislative package aimed at restoring the rights of Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia, and the next step will be for the Ukrainian parliament to adopt it. In relation to Ukraine’s accession, she noted that the EU has already opened two of the six clusters.

In response to a question, Wadephul said that the process concerning EU funds allocated to Hungary is moving forward at both the technical and political levels. The Berlin government supports anything that could help Hungary. However, they do not wish to disclose the details of the process to the public.

Both ministers are expecting a new era

“This is the first time in seven years that a German foreign minister has visited Hungary,” Anita Orbán wrote in her Facebook post on Monday morning. According to the minister, a new chapter has begun in the relationship between Hungary and Germany.

The German Foreign Minister himself also spoke of a new chapter, issuing a lengthy statement on Monday morning. According to Wadephul, this is much more than just an introductory visit, as—after years of growing estrangement—the signs are once again pointing toward a rapprochement.

“The political transition in Hungary offers an opportunity to quickly rebuild our relations based on mutual trust. I come here with the hope that Hungary will rediscover its great European heart, which all of Europe will then come to feel.”

Johann Wadephul will also hold talks with Minister of Economy and Energy István Kapitány and the heads of German companies in Hungary. The German Foreign Minister praised the new Hungarian government for launching “key reforms” in a short period of time. In his view, the return to the rule of law and the implementation of European regulations are good news for Europe, but above all for the Hungarian people.

Wadephul also wrote that, given the shared German-Hungarian history, he considers it important to seize the opportunity for a fresh start with Hungary. “We will forever be bound to the Hungarian people, because they set in motion the events in 1989 that ultimately led to the fall of the Iron Curtain and the reunification of Germany,” he wrote. The German Foreign Minister also met with the Hungarian head of state, András Baka.

The Presidential Palace reported that during the meeting, the President of the Republic stated: Hungary and Germany are bound by a deeply rooted historical friendship and strategic alliance. “We are pleased to see that both sides consider it important to renew our multifaceted bilateral relations, restore trust, and refocus on our shared values, as well as to identify further areas of cooperation while acknowledging the achievements made so far,” Baka said at the beginning of the meeting.

Orbán’s government scaled it back, the Magyar government would restore it

Although this was their first meeting in Budapest, Anita Orbán and Johann Wadephul have already met on several occasions: shortly after the new Hungarian government was formed, they met at the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Helsingborg, and then in Berlin. Incidentally, the Tisza government aims to restore and strengthen German-Hungarian relations. Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s fourth foreign trip took him to Germany in June to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, where they held bilateral talks.

At the end of July, Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder visited Hungary. At their joint press conference at the time, the Hungarian Prime Minister noted that no Bavarian Minister-President had visited Hungary in over a decade, making the resumption of political ties between the two sides particularly important. Among Germany’s federal states, Bavaria is Hungary’s strongest and most important trading partner; direct investments total 7.5 billion euros, and at least 140 Bavarian companies employ 57,000 people in Hungary.

Indeed, no German foreign minister or chancellor has visited Hungary for a bilateral meeting in recent years. In 2019, Heiko Maas, who served as foreign minister in Angela Merkel’s government, visited Budapest to hold talks with Péter Szijjártó. That visit, too, took place only after a six-year hiatus.

In recent years—especially after Angela Merkel’s departure—the Orbán government has not maintained particularly good relations with the Germans. Annalena Baerbock, the foreign minister under Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz, repeatedly criticized the previous Hungarian government, and there have even been instances where she and former foreign minister Péter Szijjártó clashed. Relations with the current chancellor, the conservative Friedrich Merz, were not particularly good either; during the election campaign, the former Hungarian Foreign Minister even accused his German counterpart, Johann Wadephult, of having “grossly threatened” him.

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