In a Facebook post, Magyar described the talks as "extremely constructive and successful". He said the funds would help restart the Hungarian economy and implement the developments needed to build a "functional and humane country".

He added that they had agreed he would return to Brussels in the week of May 25 to finalise a political agreement, paving the way for Hungary to access the trillions of forints in EU funding as soon as possible.

Magyar said he wanted to reassure everyone that the EU would not impose conditions that conflicted with Hungary's interests.

In an earlier post from Brussels, Magyar said he will also meet European Council President Antonio Costa later in the day.

EC president discusses steps to unlock EU funds with Magyar

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X on Wednesday that she had discussed the steps necessary to unlock Hungary's European Union funds, "frozen due to corruption and rule of law concerns", with Prime Minister-elect Peter Magyar in Brussels.

"A very good exchange with Peter Magyar in Brussels today," the EC chief said in her post.

"We discussed the steps necessary to unlock EU funds earmarked for Hungary, that are frozen due to corruption and rule of law concerns," she said. "The European Commission will support your work to address these issues and realign with shared European values."

"Our teams will continue to work closely together. For a prosperous Hungary at the heart of our shared European home," von der Leyen added.
 

Meanwhile, Fidesz MEPs accuse EC of interfering in Hungarian elections

Fidesz MEPs accused the European Commission of interfering in Hungary's elections during a plenary debate initiated by the Patriots for Europe group in Strasbourg on Wednesday.

Csaba Domotor said Brussels had activated a "rapid response system" two weeks before the Hungarian election to restrict social media content, though the exact scope of the measures remained unclear.

He alleged that the EC funded civil society groups that engaged in political activities during election campaigns and even used intelligence tools.

"It is already known that government leaders in Hungary have been wiretapped," he added, noting that the European Parliament had called for an investigation when the US government was found to have spied on then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Domotor also referenced EC President Ursula von der Leyen's post-election remarks, saying she had made it clear that 17 billion euros in EU funds were frozen, damaging Hungary's competitiveness and influencing voter decisions.

"Voters are capable of making decisions without interference, and their choices must be respected," the MEP said.

"With the election now over, Hungary must receive its EU funds unconditionally."

He said the events served as a "lesson" for other member states, suggesting that any government "not favoured by the left-wing mainstream" could face "the full range of interference tools".

Andras Laszlo, another Fidesz MEP, accused the EU of interfering in the domestic politics and elections of EU member states, calling it a "massive scandal" that "elites in Brussels want to sweep under the rug". He accused the EC of activating the rapid response system to monitor and interfere in online activities during the election campaign.

"We know from the documents released through Freedom of Information requests in the United States -- which the Commission doesn't do -- that the Commission has in fact interfered and pressured tech companies to suppress conservative political speech in all European national elections since 2023," he said.

"This is a major violation of the EU treaties," Laszlo said.

"President von der Leyen, as well as all commissioners and staff involved, should be investigated and held accountable."

Our Homeland MEP Zsuzsanna Borvendeg also accused von der Leyen of "proudly admitting" that her strict financial pressure contributed to the desired change of power in Hungary, calling this a display of "imperial arrogance".

Responding on behalf of the Commission, Michael McGrath, the EU's rule of law commissioner, said the EC fully respected the organisation of national elections, which fall under the responsibility of member states.

"Let me be clear: the Commission does not interfere in the conduct and organisation of elections," he said.

"Our role is to support member states depending on their needs and wishes, using tools at our disposal to support and assist them in ensuring fair and secure elections free from interference."

McGrath expressed concern over threats to elections that could undermine the integrity of democratic institutions and electoral processes.

He highlighted the EU's comprehensive toolkit, including the Digital Services Act, political advertising regulations, and AI legislation, which introduce transparency rules for political ads, ban non-EU funding in the three months before elections.

"The Digital Services Act is another important framework sheilding elections from threats endangering the integrity of the information space," he said, noting it requires major online platforms to conduct risk assessments.

MTI Stock Photo

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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