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European Commission - Statement Statement by President von der Leyen with Hungarian Prime Minister Magyar Brussels, 29 May 2026 Prime Minister Magyar, dear Péter, A very warm welcome to Brussels. The 12 April will stay in our memory for a very long time. On that day, the Hungarian people took their future in their hands. They made a clear choice. They chose Europe. And they chose democracy. They chose to return to th...
European Commission - Statement Statement by President von der Leyen with Hungarian Prime Minister Magyar Brussels, 29 May 2026 Prime Minister Magyar, dear Péter, A very warm welcome to Brussels. The 12 April will stay in our memory for a very long time. On that day, the Hungarian people took their future in their hands. They made a clear choice. They chose Europe. And they chose democracy. They chose to return to the heart of our Union, where they belong. It has only been a few weeks. But we can already feel a strong wind of change across Hungary. And you, dear Péter, are sending to the world powerful messages. With your swearing-in on Europe Day, and the sound of the European anthem, and with the European colours once again flying proudly over the Hungarian parliament – these are symbols that a new era is beginning for Hungary. While messages and symbols are important, hard work makes the difference. In record time, you formed a government, with ministers drawn from the top ranks of their professions who have stepped up for the public interest. Your government is moving with speed and determination to deliver on the promises you made to the Hungarian people, kickstart economic recovery, fight corruption, and restore the rule of law. And in very short time, we already have concrete progress to share. We will take no shortcuts, we will address all issues, and work hand in hand for the good of Hungary and the European Union. Let me outline the areas that we are concentrated on. First, on structural reforms for Hungary. They are much needed to fight corruption and state capture in Hungary. They also unlock billions of euros in funding, frozen over the last years. Your government and the European Commission, we immediately went to work. We agreed on a robust architecture to ensure that Hungary addresses corruption and rule of law concerns. And indeed, Hungary has decided to join the European Public Prosecutor's Office to safeguard European funds in the future. You have agreed to strengthening the Integrity Authority to make sure it has real teeth to detect and fight corruption as well as conflicts of interest. You are also revising your public procurement law to curb fraud and protect taxpayers' money. And you have addressed structures that presented high risk of state capture. The public interest trusts, the PITs, that covered increasingly large parts of the Hungarian economy will be phased out. These are strong signals that Hungary is turning the page. In only a few weeks, you have driven forward long overdue reforms. – reforms for the benefit of Hungary and the European Union. Second, on investments. Our teams have worked hard together, day and night, to find common ground and agree on a list of investments for the revised NextGenerationEU plan. I think the hard work has really paid off now. We agreed on very concrete projects that will support key sectors such as energy, housing, transport and SMEs, just to name a few. We have now agreed on a safe and solid landing zone. Therefore, subject to the reforms that are being adopted and investments implemented, I am very happy to announce today that we can unlock EUR 10 billion for Hungary. Third, there is also significant progress on Cohesion funds. With the progress on the super milestones, we have also been able to unlock the conditionality-related Cohesion funds worth EUR 4.2 billion. Fourth, on fundamental rights. We have also made great progress on the protection of fundamental rights in Hungary, notably on academic freedom. Hungary will be gradually phasing out the Public Interest Trusts, the PITs, and pass legislation to address concerns about conflict of interest and integrity rules. This is a big step forward. The academic freedom was long awaited. Therefore, this will unlock another EUR 2.2 billion of Cohesion funds for Hungary. On the child protection law, more steps will have to be taken – but we are on a good direction of travel. And finally, a special word on Erasmus. This iconic programme is one of the great trademarks of the European Union. Entire generations have been shaped by Erasmus – friendships, families, freedom. With Erasmus, young Europeans fall in love with another language, culture, country, and with its citizens. In doing so, they understand that our diversity is our strength. And it is so important that young Hungarians can benefit from this wonderful experience too. So as early as the next academic year, Hungarian students can also be again part of the Erasmus community – this is good news. To conclude, dear Péter, A great deal of work has already been achieved in very short time. And markets are already taking notice. Investors' confidence is returning. Trust is being rebuilt. This gives confidence for the next steps to come. And we will continue to work together at this pace, each step of our way. Thank you very much. STATEMENT/26/1200 Press contacts: Paula PINHO (+32 2 29 20815) Arianna PODESTA (+32 2 298 70 24) Olof GILL (+32 2 29 65966) General public inquiries: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 67 89 10 11 or by email Related media European Commission President Ursula von der LEYEN receives the Prime Minister of Hungary Péter MAGYAR
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