{"id":29448,"date":"2026-04-17T07:39:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T07:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/29448\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T07:39:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T07:39:10","slug":"commission-starts-talks-with-hungarys-incoming-govt-to-unlock-eu-funds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/29448\/","title":{"rendered":"Commission Starts Talks with Hungary\u2019s Incoming Govt to Unlock EU Funds"},"content":{"rendered":"

A delegation of the European Commission is visiting Budapest<\/a> on Friday, 17 April, to start negotiations with Prime Minister-elect P\u00e9ter Magyar and the Tisza Party on unblocking currently frozen EU funding of more than \u20ac30 billion.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Thursday, Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho said the purpose of the visit is to \u2018launch discussion\u2019 on the \u2018most important EU matters as soon as possible\u2019 in the interest of \u2018both Hungary and the European Union\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018Whether it concerns the Ukraine loan or the recovery funds, it is in the interest of both Hungary and the EU to move forward as soon as possible. These are therefore preliminary talks aimed at ensuring that once the new government takes office, action can begin immediately and no time is lost. That is the purpose and framework of this meeting,\u2019 Pinho stressed.<\/p>\n

The 27 Super Milestones<\/p>\n

The meeting is taking place five days after Tisza secured a landslide victory<\/a> in what has been described as the most significant election in Hungary\u2019s post-communist history. By winning a supermajority in the 199-seat parliament, Tisza ended the 16-year rule of Viktor Orb\u00e1n and Fidesz\u2013KDNP, which had been characterized by constant confrontation<\/a> with the European Commission on issues ranging from rule-of-law concerns, migration and foreign policy to media, judicial, and academic freedom.<\/p>\n

Brussels decided in December 2022 to block the disbursement of several funds under the so-called rule-of-law mechanism, setting out 27 \u2018super milestones<\/a>\u2019 for the Hungarian government to implement in order to unlock the money.<\/p>\n

These conditions cover a wide range of structural reforms, including anti-corruption measures, public procurement transparency, judicial independence, and broader fundamental rights guarantees. Crucially, no payment can be made until all 27 milestones are fully and correctly implemented, making them the central benchmark in any negotiation between Budapest and the Commission.<\/p>\n

While there were talks between the Orb\u00e1n government and the Commission initially, they stalled from 2024 as relations increasingly deteriorated, largely due to Hungary\u2019s differing stance on the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia. The Orb\u00e1n government also considered the implementation of many of the super milestones as giving up Hungary\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n

The Four-Point Plan of Magyar<\/p>\n

Magyar and the Tisza Party campaigned on a pro-EU platform, promising to bring home EU funding, similarly to how Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk\u2014the closest EU ally of Magyar\u2014defeated the Law and Justice (PiS) government, then Orb\u00e1n\u2019s closest ally in the EU, in 2023.<\/p>\n

Speaking at his first international press conference<\/a> as prime minister-elect on Monday, Magyar outlined a four-point plan which he hopes will be sufficient to unlock resources. \u2018These are anti-corruption measures, including joining the European Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office,\u2019 Magyar said, referring to the EU\u2019s prosecutorial body, which Hungary\u2014alongside Ireland and Denmark\u2014has chosen not to join. \u2018The second is to restore the independence of the judiciary and investigative authorities, the third is to ensure freedom of the press, and the fourth is to liberate Hungarian universities and academic freedom,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n

Comparing the four-point plan with the super milestones, Magyar\u2019s proposals cover around 70 per cent of the Commission\u2019s conditions. The remaining 30 per cent, however, concern politically and ideologically more sensitive issues, mainly compliance with EU asylum and migration policy and LGBTQ+ rights.<\/p>\n

During the press conference, Magyar said he seeks to maintain a \u2018very strict position\u2019, rejecting \u2018any pact or allocation mechanism\u2019, and confirmed that his government intends to keep the southern border fence built under Orb\u00e1n in 2015. He also criticized the EU\u2019s handling of mass migration, while suggesting that mostly administrative and legal adjustments would be sufficient to meet the conditions in these areas.<\/p>\n

\u2018Magyar\u2019s proposals cover around 70 per cent of the Commission\u2019s conditions\u2019<\/p>\n

During the campaign, Magyar largely avoided addressing LGBTQ+ issues, as doing so would have opened a significant line of attack from the governing parties. After Tisza\u2019s victory, he said Hungary should be a country \u2018where no one is stigmatized for loving someone differently than the majority\u2019, signalling a more progressive position than Orb\u00e1n. Still, it remains unclear whether this would be sufficient to meet the Commission\u2019s conditions.<\/p>\n

According to media reports, the European Commission also expects Hungary to lift its veto<\/a> on the joint EU loan to Ukraine as part of an agreement on releasing funds. Magyar stated that he would not block the loan, but that Hungary would maintain the opt-out negotiated by Orb\u00e1n in December 2025.<\/p>\n

Taken together, there is a significant amount of work\u2014and likely compromise on national sovereignty\u2014required for the new government to unlock the funding, and time is not on its side. Part of the funding, from the Covid-19 recovery instrument, will be lost completely after the 31 August deadline. <\/p>\n

The government is expected to be inaugurated at the earliest on 5 May, leaving roughly three and a half months to make progress on the conditions, and it remains unclear whether the Commission would release any funds if only part of the requirements are met. \u2018There will be ample opportunity to discuss the new government\u2019s position and proceed accordingly,\u2019 Paula Pinho said on Thursday.<\/p>\n

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