Funds released to Hungary

The European Commission yesterday proposed to release €4.2 billion in cohesion funds for Hungary and to fully reinstate the country’s participation in the Erasmus and Horizon programmes, after Peter Magyar’s government adopted a series of reforms to remedy the breaches of the rule of law committed by his predecessor, Viktor Orbán. Fifty-five per cent of the cohesion funds pre-allocated to Hungary had been suspended in 2022 under the rule of law conditionality regulation. The Commission concluded that the corrective measures notified by the Magyar government had resolved critical issues and shortcomings in areas such as public procurement, anti-corruption, conflicts of interest and the effectiveness of criminal prosecutions.

Hungary has strengthened the powers of the Integrity Authority, increased transparency regarding conflicts of interest linked to public-interest foundations (which are to be closed down), tightened controls on EU funds and transparency in public procurement, and joined the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. “The reforms are delivering tangible results,” said Ursula von der Leyen. Magyar has gone a step further, carrying out a “de-Orbanisation” of key institutions thanks to the constitutional super-majority secured in the elections. This is good news for Hungary, the EU and European taxpayers, who have paid tens of billions of euros to Budapest, much of which has been channelled to oligarchs close to Orbán. Against this backdrop, it is deeply concerning that Giorgia Meloni’s government has called for the abolition of conditionality on the rule of law in the negotiations on the 2028–34 budget. “No form of financial conditionality of any kind is admissible” when it comes to the rule of law, said the Minister for European Affairs, Tommaso Foti, on Tuesday. Defending Italy and Italians also means ensuring that their money does not end up in the pockets of corrupt and authoritarian regimes.