Hungary in talks with EU to unlock €17 billion in frozen funds

Representatives of Hungary’s Tisza Party, which won the parliamentary elections, are holding talks with the European Commission to unfreeze billions of euros in suspended EU funding, RMF reports.

A delegation from the party held meetings in Brussels on April 25 with European Commission officials. The main goal of the talks is to restore Hungary’s access to EU funds that were frozen due to disputes over the rule of law.

Tisza Party leader Péter Magyar said that party representatives are in Brussels discussing the possible release of funds which, according to them, belong to Hungary.

The amount in question is around €17 billion, including approximately €10 billion from the EU’s post-COVID recovery fund and about €7 billion from the long-term EU budget for regional development. Part of these funds may be lost if they are not used within the required deadlines.

Previously, the European Commission linked access to funding to reforms, particularly strengthening judicial independence and anti-corruption measures.

The Tisza Party says it is ready for dialogue with the EU and to meet the necessary conditions. After winning the elections, it secured 141 seats in the 199-seat parliament, forming a constitutional majority.

The new Hungarian government is expected to be sworn in on May 9. The party expects that political changes will accelerate the unfreezing of EU funds.