Incoming Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar will hold informal talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Wednesday as he seeks to repair Hungary’s strained relations with the EU after Viktor Orban’s tenure.
Magyar is pushing the bloc to unblock about €18 billion that was frozen over rule-of-law concerns under Orban. “There is no time to waste,” Magyar said. His government, which takes office next month, will have only until the end of August to claim around €10 billion left from EU pandemic recovery funds before they expire.
Magyar has outlined four priority reform areas to secure the funds:
– Anti-corruption measures, including joining the European Public Prosecutor’s Office
– Restoring and strengthening judicial independence
– Restoring media and academic freedoms
– Resetting EU relations and economic policy
Orban, a close ally of Russia and former US President Donald Trump, spent 16 years in power clashing with the EU over rule-of-law issues, using vetoes on unanimous EU decisions and blocking a €90 billion loan package for Ukraine. On April 12, Magyar’s centre-right Tisza party won a landslide victory, ending Orban’s rule. EU leaders welcomed the result; von der Leyen said on election night: “Europe’s heart is beating stronger in Hungary tonight,” adding the bloc would be “stronger, more united.”
Magyar, slated to take office next month, has already held two rounds of talks with senior EU officials. On Wednesday he will also meet European Council President António Costa, who said he looked forward to close cooperation.
EU leaders hope Magyar will shift Hungary’s stance on Ukraine. The EU recently approved the €90 billion loan to Ukraine and a new package of sanctions on Russia—moves that Budapest had previously stalled. Brussels expects Hungary to free up funds designated to arm Kyiv and to lift Orban-era vetoes that have blocked Ukraine’s progress toward EU membership.
Magyar announced he plans to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in early June, proposing the meeting take place in Berehove in western Ukraine, a border region with about 80,000 ethnic Hungarians.
Edited by: Alex Berry