European Commission chief asks Peter Magyar to 'realign' Hungary to 'European values' to unlock EU funds

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Tuesday that she had a telephone conversation with the winner of the Hungarian elections, the future Prime Minister Peter Magyar, to whom she was told that she must make quick decisions for reforms before the European funds frozen by Brussels during Viktor Orban's government can be unlocked, according to Reuters and EFE agencies, according to Agerpres.

“We discussed the immediate priorities,” Von der Leyen wrote on the X social network. “Fast work must be done on restoration, realignment and reforms. Restoring the rule of law. Realignment to our common European values. And reforms, to unlock the opportunities offered by European investments,” indicated the president of the European Commission.

She had already declared on Monday that she hoped to collaborate as quickly as possible with the future pro-European government of Peter Magyar so that Hungary would make the “reforms” necessary to unlock the European funds of around 17 billion euros belonging to Hungary.

These funds were frozen by the European Commission during the government of Viktor Orban, who was in conflict with Brussels because under his leadership Hungary refused to support Ukraine in the war with Russia, promoted anti-LGBT measures, against migrants and NGOs.

Orban's Fidesz party lost legislative elections on Sunday to his former ally Peter Magyar's Tisza party, which won a comfortable majority of more than two-thirds, which will also allow for constitutional changes.

Hungarian: Release of European funds, absolute priority

For his part, Magyar announced on Tuesday that he had a new “important” telephone conversation with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, agreeing that the unblocking of European funds frozen during Viktor Orban's government is the “absolute priority”.

“I had a new important telephone conversation with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission. We agreed that the release of European funds worth many thousands of billions of forints, which belong to the Hungarian people, but which have been frozen due to the corruption of the Orbán government, is the absolute priority,” wrote Peter Magyar on Facebook.

“The European Commission will work closely with the new Hungarian government to achieve results in the extremely short term and so that the Hungarian people can benefit as soon as possible from the EU development funds they are entitled to,” Magyar says that Ursula von der Leyen assured him.

The future prime minister assured that the necessary political decisions in the interest of the Hungarian people, institutions and companies will already be taken by the Tisza government, based on the unprecedented mandate granted on April 12.