In response to a question, Maciej Berestecki said the 27 super milestones that apply to Hungary are linked to breaches of the rule of law identified under the conditionality procedure.

To unlock the funds, he said, Hungary needed to demonstrate that it can effectively protect the EU's financial interests and that it has strengthened judicial independence.

While some milestones, including Hungary's 2023 judicial reforms, have already been implemented, the EC would only be able to assess progress once Hungary submitted its payment requests, Berestecki said.

"The duration of the programme is quite clear, it’s defined by its legal basis, and it has to be concluded by the end of this year, and all milestones and targets have to be implemented by the end of August this year," he said. "And it also applies to Hungary like to all other member states."

Hungary, he added, could now submit a payment request for evaluation, or may also revise its economic recovery plan to streamline and preserve reforms and investments that were achievable by the August deadline.

EU chief spokesperson Paula Pinho said this was "challenging" but "if there is a will there could be a way."

"If Hungary wants to review and submit the revision of their plan, they have to do it as soon as possible, but we are ready to support it in this process," Berestecki said.

In response to another question, he said the deadline was "set in stone". All payment requests must be submitted by September, with disbursements completed by the end of 2026, he added.

Meanwhile, Pinho confirmed that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Peter Magyar, Hungary's prime minister-elect, had agreed to work closely together in the interests of both Hungary and the EU. The EC has already begun engaging with Magyar, while continuing cooperation with the outgoing government as needed, she said.

She said the EC welcomed Magyar's pro-EU stance and alignment with several EU policy objectives, though acknowledged much work remained. "The first step will come from the new government itself, and we will be taking it from there," she added.

EC spokesman Balazs Ujvari said around 17 billion euros in EU funds remain frozen for Hungary, including 7.6 billion under cohesion policy and 10.4 billion from the RRF.

Magyar discusses release of EU funds in phone call with EC leader

Peter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, said on Tuesday that he had held another important phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"We agreed that unlocking the EU funds earmarked for the Hungarian people, but frozen due to the previous government’s corruption, is the top priority," Magyar said on Facebook.

Referring to the results of the parliamentary election, he added that the Tisza government would now make the necessary political decisions in the interest of the Hungarian people, institutions and businesses, "in line with the clear mandate" received on April 12.

"The President informed me that the Commission will work closely with us to meet the extremely tight deadline and deliver results, and so that the Hungarian people can access the EU development funds they are entitled to as soon as possible," he added.

Photo: EU Facebook page

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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