Hungarian Minister for Transport and Investment Dávid Vitézy told Parliament on Monday that negotiations with the European Commission on unlocking billions of euros in European Union funding have been concluded, with a final decision expected later this week.
Vitézy spoke before the National Assembly in place of Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who is attending the NATO summit in Türkiye.
The minister said he had been authorized by the prime minister to update lawmakers on the government’s negotiations with the European Union over suspended funding.
According to Vitézy, Hungary is set to regain access to a total of €16.4 billion, equivalent to almost HUF 6 trillion, which he said would be invested in public service infrastructure, energy networks and hospitals.
He added that negotiations with the European Commission had been finalized and that EU finance ministers are expected to make the final decision on Friday. ‘If that decision is adopted, we will be able to say that we have brought home the European Union funds,’ Vitézy told lawmakers.
The minister argued that the previous government had sought to conceal its failure to secure the funds by blaming unrelated issues. He cited remarks made by former prime minister Viktor Orbán in 2023, when Orbán suggested Hungary’s money had ended up in Ukraine. Vitézy rejected that claim, saying Ukraine had never been part of the conditions attached to the funding. He also dismissed previous assertions that the European Union had demanded changes to Hungary’s migration policy or that the country did not need the funds. He further argued that the previous government could not have secured the money even if it had remained in office, claiming billions of euros had already been permanently lost before the election.
According to Vitézy, the main obstacle had been the previous administration’s refusal to implement anti-corruption measures relating to public procurement, public-interest foundations and asset declaration rules. He concluded his speech by challenging opposition lawmakers to explain to Hungarian citizens why the funds had not been obtained earlier, arguing that the explanations given in recent years had been false.
During the debate Our Homeland (Mi Hazánk) deputy Dóra Dúró said the European Union funds rightfully belong to Hungary and should not be treated as a favour. She argued, however, that additional legislative changes would still be required before the money could be released. Dúró also criticized the government for rejecting her party’s proposal to abolish parliamentary immunity, despite campaign promises to do so.
KDNP lawmaker Bence Rétvári likewise maintained that the funds are owed to Hungary because the country opened its markets to Western European companies. He criticized the European Commission’s assessment of Hungary’s asset declaration system and argued that migration policy and EU funding had been improperly linked. Rétvári also said that agreements concerning the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia had not yet been incorporated into Ukrainian legislation.
Former justice minister Bence Tuzson of Fidesz questioned Vitézy’s criticism of the previous government, recalling that the two had campaigned together during the 2022 election. Tuzson argued that the Fidesz government had been capable of securing the funds and accused the current administration of weakening Hungary’s sovereignty through institutional reforms, including the creation of the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, the abolition of the Sovereignty Protection Office, amendments to parliamentary rules and expanded powers for the Integrity Authority.
Responding to the criticism, Vitézy agreed that the funds rightfully belong to Hungary and are essential for the country’s development. Addressing concerns about sovereignty, he argued that the previous government’s objections were in reality aimed at resisting anti-corruption measures rather than defending national independence.
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