The EU has presented incoming Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar with 27 conditions to unfreeze €35 billion in subsidies for Hungary, according to the Financial Times. One of the conditions is unlocking a €90 billion loan for Ukraine.
The conditions also include anti-corruption checks and the reversal of decisions from the era of Viktor Orbán that are considered to violate EU rules, such as the treatment of asylum seekers.
Budapest is expected to abandon Orbán’s policies
Two EU diplomats from other member states said capitals also want Hungary to lift its veto on the next round of sanctions against Russia, as a key signal of the incoming prime minister’s intent to restore deeply damaged relations with the EU.
The European Commission has begun “immediate engagement” with Péter Magyar following his decisive election victory in Hungary.
The removal of Orbán’s Russia-friendly, eurosceptic government has sparked hope in Brussels and other capitals regarding Budapest’s role in the EU and NATO after years of “illiberal democracy” that eroded democratic values and hindered joint policy.
“Return to the European path”
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stated that there is a lot of work ahead, as Hungary returns to the European path.
Magyar said he sees no reason to revise the €90 billion loan agreement for Ukraine, which EU leaders approved in December only for Orbán to veto it earlier this year.
He also stated that Ukraine should not be expected to give up any of its territory in exchange for a peace agreement with Russia, as no country can reasonably be expected to sacrifice its sovereignty in the face of aggression.
Magyar said his first foreign visits will be to Warsaw and Vienna, both led by conservative pro-European governments, before traveling to Brussels.
