Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party emphasize that they are aware of the list of European Union demands that were previously rejected by the previous government.
Viktor Orban used social media to call on the current head of government to reveal the details of Friday's agreement with the President of the European Commission. According to information from portfolio.hu, Orban referred to this agreement as the “von der Leyen-Peter Magyar pact”. Fidesz, which joined the opposition after the April elections, also demands the disclosure of “secret details” of this agreement.
The party's statement emphasized that Orban's cabinet had been conducting negotiations with the European Union for many years and was well aware of the list of Brussels' requirements, which were consistently rejected by the previous government. The former Hungarian Prime Minister said that “free cheese only comes in a mousetrap”, which, according to him, means that we need to find out “what the Prime Minister sold to Brussels”.
Unlocking billions of euros for Hungary
Von der Leyen said that the European Union is ready to release EUR 10 billion from the Reconstruction Fund and EUR 4.2 billion from the Cohesion Funds. Moreover, after meeting the agreed conditions, Budapest will be able to receive another EUR 2.2 billion. The head of the European Commission noted that “the wind of change can already be felt throughout Hungary.”
Reforms, fight against corruption and return to Erasmus
The head of the European Commission pointed out that Hungary needs deep structural reforms and agreed with Brussels on a “solid architecture” to ensure an effective fight against corruption. As part of the agreement, Hungary committed to protecting European funds in the future and reached a compromise on investment projects. Hungarian students will be able to benefit from the Erasmus program again.
Peter Magyar described the agreement as a “historic breakthrough” and assured that his government was ready to continue cooperation with the European Commission. He emphasized that the negotiations were difficult and his cabinet fought for every euro. He indicated that the agreement covers a total of EUR 16.4 billion, of which EUR 1.5 billion will be allocated to the development of the distribution network and EUR 2 billion to investments in the railway.
The Hungarian Prime Minister also noted that his government's fight against corruption is already bearing fruit, although Budapest still has a lot to do in this regard. He added that the unblocking of EU funds is not related to Ukraine's accession process.
