The EU has set conditions for Hungary: what needs to be done to unlock €35 billion
14 April 02:55
The European Commission has begun negotiations with Péter Magyar, the winner of Hungary’s parliamentary elections, regarding the release of frozen European Union funds. According to the Financial Times, the package amounts to 35 billion euros, and Brussels is linking the process to the fulfillment of 27 conditions that the new government in Budapest must implement, reports "Komersant Ukrainian"
What the European Commission is demanding from Magyar
According to the FT report, the future prime minister is expected to shift away from Viktor Orbán’s policies and take steps to normalize Hungary’s relations with Brussels. Among the priorities are unblocking EU decisions regarding Ukraine and ending Budapest’s resistance to key European initiatives.
One such point cited is ending Hungary’s blocking of a large loan package for Ukraine and the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia.
Reports on the negotiations mention a 90-billion-euro loan for Ukraine, which was one of the key points of contention between Budapest and Brussels.
What other changes are expected from Hungary’s new government
In addition to its stance on Ukraine, Hungary is expected to repeal a number of decisions made by the Orbán government that the EU considered to be in violation of the rule of law. Reuters, AP, and The Guardian report that following the elections, the new government in Budapest has declared its intention to restore democratic standards, strengthen the independence of the judiciary, fight corruption, and bring the country closer to the EU.
Separately, reports on the EU’s demands mention Hungary’s migration policy. It is precisely due to violations in this area that the European Court has already imposed significant financial sanctions on Budapest, and the issue of migration legislation remains one of the most sensitive in the dialogue between Hungary and the EU.
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Why Brussels is proceeding cautiously
The EU, according to the FT, does not want to repeat the 2023 scenario with Poland, when, following Donald Tusk’s victory, funds for Warsaw were quickly unblocked, but internal political resistance prevented the new government from fully implementing all the changes. That is precisely why Brussels has adopted a more cautious approach toward Hungary: concrete reforms first, and then the return of funds.
This caution is also confirmed by other Western media outlets. Reuters reports that the EU and financial markets have reacted positively to Magyar’s victory, but emphasize that unfreezing large sums requires not only promises but also concrete actions.
Why is the amount of frozen funds so high?
Various estimates of the amount of frozen funds for Hungary are circulating in the public sphere. Reuters and The Guardian have recently cited figures of around 17–18 billion euros for a portion of the funds, while the FT, in this context, writes of a 35-billion-euro broader package tied to the European Commission’s new negotiations with Péter Magyar.
This means that we are talking about different segments of funding or different amounts of funds that Brussels links to the new government’s reforms.
What this means for Hungary, Ukraine, and the EU
For Hungary, the list of 27 conditions means that Magyar’s victory does not automatically grant access to EU funds.
For Ukraine, it is important that among Brussels’ demands are the removal of Hungarian resistance to the decision on a large loan and a new package of anti-Russian sanctions.
And for the EU itself, this situation has become a test of whether it can combine a political reset of relations with Budapest with strict oversight of reform implementation.
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