Hungary’s new government has accused the previous Orbán administration of leaving out HUF 286 billion (around EUR 794.3 million) in planned expenditures from the 2026 state budget.
According to documents obtained by independent outlet Telex, the missing items were identified during the handover process at the former Ministry of Construction and Transport. The allegations have already sparked a dispute between the new cabinet led by Péter Magyar and the opposition Fidesz party.
Three major spending items allegedly omitted
Government spokespeople claimed that several significant obligations were either underestimated or entirely absent from the expenditure side of the budget. The disputed amount consists of three large infrastructure-related items.
The biggest share, HUF 175.6 billion (EUR 488 million), concerns payments linked to Hungary’s motorway concession system. The state of Hungary pays availability fees to Magyar Koncessziós Infrastruktúra Fejlesztő Zrt., a company owned by businessmen Lőrinc Mészáros, Viktor Orbán’s best friend and the richest man in the country, and László Szíjj, for the maintenance and operation of the country’s expressway network.
Many ways for this much money to go missing
The budget reportedly allocated only HUF 210 billion (EUR 583.5 million) for these payments despite the fact that the state had already spent roughly HUF 410 billion (around EUR 1.139 billion) on the same purpose last year. Critics argue that it was, therefore, unrealistic to expect the lower figure to cover 2026 obligations.
Another disputed item involves the controversial Budapest–Belgrade railway project. The ministry’s handover documents reportedly identified an additional HUF 87.7 billion (EUR 24.37 million) in costs related to the Hungarian section of the railway development that did not fully appear in the relevant budget line.
The third issue concerns the rail connection serving the industrial zone in Iváncsa, including infrastructure linked to the battery plant operating there. Officials said the project requires HUF 22.3 billion (EUR 6.19 million), yet the corresponding budget allocation either does not exist or contains only a fraction of the necessary amount.
Hungary’s new government orders urgent review
Following the revelations, the new government declared that the state budget’s real condition is “opaque” and ordered a comprehensive review to be completed by 30 June.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar stated that the Justice Ministry is also examining whether deliberately omitting known expenditures from the budget could amount to a criminal offence.
Fidesz has rejected the accusations, insisting that all obligations were publicly documented and included in official handover materials. The party argued that the new government is making false claims for political purposes.
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Former finance minister warns of “serious irresponsibility”
Economist and former finance minister of Hungary, Csaba László, said the case could represent “serious and deliberate irresponsibility” if the previous administration knowingly excluded foreseeable expenses from the budget.
While he noted that governments sometimes use accounting manoeuvres to improve fiscal indicators, he said omitting known expenditures from an accrual-based budget would be far more serious than ordinary technical adjustments.
According to László, it is difficult to believe that projects of this scale could simply have been forgotten during the drafting process, suggesting that any decision to leave them out was more likely made at a higher political level.
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Featured image from former national economy minister Márton Nagy’s deleted Facebook page.
