Hungarian minister: Breakthrough achieved in Western Balkans enlargement under Hungary’s leadership
Enlargement policy and advancing enlargement in the Western Balkans have been among the key priorities of the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union, the EU affairs minister said in Brussels on Tuesday, adding that the Hungarian presidency had been successful in accomplishing this task.
The European Union achieved a breakthrough in the area of enlargement during the Hungarian presidency, János Bóka told a joint press conference with EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos after a meeting of the General Affairs Council.
Two intergovernmental conferences were held with Albania during the Hungarian presidency where two clusters were opened, he said. Also, an intergovernmental conference was held with Montenegro, which has led to the closing of accession chapters, and after three years, progress has also been made on Serbia’s EU integration, he added.
Boka said this opened the door to holding an intergovernmental conference with Serbia in the first months of 2025 where a new cluster could be opened.
Meanwhile, Boka said EU affairs ministers had also discussed EU-UK and EU-Switzerland relations. He said both countries were important allies of the bloc, expressing hope that that talks with Switzerland that started in the spring could be concluded this year.
Concerning the Dec 19 European Council summit, Boka said EU leaders are set to discuss the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, including the war in Gaza and the de-escalation efforts between Israel and Lebanon.
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Hungarian Parliament’s final session brings key amendments to the constitution, election act, and more
In the Hungarian parliament, Fidesz, the governing party with a two-thirds majority, has introduced several important changes to the lawmakers:
Hungarian Parliament vote on law establishing 2025 budget
MPs approved legislation for establishing the 2025 budget in a vote in parliament on Tuesday.
The law includes several measures in various fields and was approved by lawmakers with a vote of 134 for, 47 against and 8 abstentions.
The law removes the legal institution of special economic zones from the statutory regulation as of January 1. The competent local municipalities will once again perform local government and state administration tasks related to the areas.
The February date for the payment of the bonus thirteenth monthly pension has been raised to a statutory level.
The law imposes a HUF 1.2m annual threshold limit for subscriptions of baby bonds on Start accounts in a calendar year per person.
A provision that the government sector balance must be determined in such a way that its deficit does not exceed 3pc of GDP has been removed from the stability act. The new regulations state that the government sector balance must be decided in accordance with the Basic Law and European Union law.
The law authorises the government to decide on the alienation of state-owned properties next to national core network railway tracks in the national economic interest, or on the establishment of land use rights on them, or on the creation of undivided common ownerships.
It was also determined that business associations that develop and operate real estate that is part of the national core network railway track, in which the state’s direct or indirect share reaches 10pc, will be considered to be included in state property.
Amendments on higher education, family affairs, culture
Hungarian Parliament approved amendments to laws on higher education, family affairs and culture with 134 votes in support, 17 against and 39 abstentions.
In line with the amendments, married students who have children will be eligible for state scholarships until the age of 30, and tuition-paying students will be transferred to state scholarships if they get married and have children.
Students returning to Hungary after taking out a student loan abroad will have the option to repay their loan through the Hungarian student loan system.
Students raising children aged under 14 will be allowed to choose distance learning.
Several foundations operating universities will receive properties free of charge.
The state can operate museums in the future, the local council, or by non-profit economic organisations owned by the state or local council.
The Fudan Hungary University Foundation will change its name to Tudas-Ter Foundation, and it will be tasked with implementing a student quarter dormitory development program under the arrangements of university cooperation and to develop student welfare services.
read also: Hungarian MPs decide on important tax laws
Lawmakers tighten criminal code’s statute of limitations rules
Parliament voted unanimously to tighten the criminal code’s rules on the statute of limitations.
In line with the amendment approved with 190 votes in favour, zero tolerance will apply regardless of the age of the perpetrator, and the statute of limitations will be eliminated in cases of serious crimes punishable by life imprisonment.
Current regulations stipulate that the maximum prison sentence for perpetrators aged under 16 is 10 years, and for perpetrators aged between 16 and 18 years it is 15 years. Additionally, there is currently a statute of limitations in force in such cases, and the crimes lapse after 10 years or 15 years, respectively.
In line with the amendment approved by parliament, a statute of limitations will be applicable only in the case of crimes punishable by over 10 and 15 years in prison.
The new regulations will enter into force on January 1.
The governing party has redrawn the electoral map to suit itself
Parliament voted in favour of the amendment to the electoral law on Tuesday, with 134 votes in favour and 52 against, and no abstentions.
- The ruling party has completely redrawn the previously known electoral districts:
Budapest, which was the opposition’s stronghold, has been truncated from 18 to 16 constituencies, meaning that two fewer individual MPs from the capital will be able to enter Parliament. For the amendment, all constituencies in the capital will be redrawn based on Fidesz’s analysis. - The two extra single MPs will be allocated to Pest county, which will have 14 constituencies in 2026 instead of the current 12.
- The constituencies of Fejér and Csongrád-Csanád counties have also been changed.
- Under the new law, it will no longer be necessary to carry an address card with you to vote, but only an identity card, passport or driving licence will be required to prove your identity.
- The rules on the bundling and storage of ballot papers are clarified.
- The law also creates the possibility and obligation of an automatic recount of votes.
The head of the committee Imre Vejkey, of the co-ruling Christian Democrats, said during the debate about the proposal that changes in demographics had prompted the amendments to the constituency allocations. The opposition parties have sharply criticised the proposal, saying that the changes served the interests of the ruling parties.
read also: Hungarian Parliament again extends the state of emergency
Lawmakers adopt 14th constitutional amendment
Lawmakers adopted the 14th amendment to Hungary’s constitution, giving parliament room to elect the chief prosecutor from outside the prosecutorial system.
The amendment passed with 135 votes in favour and 53 against.
In their justification for the amendment, the authors of the bill said the amendment brings the regulation in line with the domestic practice, arguing that two of Hungary’s three chief prosecutors since the change of regime in 1989/90 had not been prosecutors before their election.
The amendment proposal submitted by parliament’s justice committee also makes reference to international examples, pointing out that many European countries do not require the chief prosecutor to have served as a prosecutor before fulfilling the role.
The amendment will enter into force on January 1, 2025. Chief Public Prosecutor Peter Polt’s mandate expires in 2028.
The amendment also raises the minimum age for judges from 30 to 35 years effective March 1, 2025. Also, as of January 1, 2026, judges will be allowed to remain on the bench until the age of 70.
Parlt adopts amendments to laws on digitalisation of documents
Parliament adopted amendments to laws pertaining to digital citizenship and the digitalisation of documents on Tuesday.
The new regulations, adopted with 135 votes in favour, 22 against and 33 abstentions, are designed to fine-tune regulations and to align them with European Union law.
Personal data are already available in an application. From February 2025, users will be able to download and forward the authenticated contents of many official documents.
With the exception of personal IDs, documents will only be issued in physical form upon specific request. ID cards will be issued free of charge, but people above 14 will have to pay for the issuance of physical documents in other cases. Pensioners will have discount prices.
By reducing the number of plastic and paper documents, the government is expecting to reduce plastic waste by 11.1 tonnes a year, and paper waste by 1.2 tonnes.
Hungarian EU Presidency makes milestone progress on enlargement for Serbia, Montenegro, and Albania
The Hungarian EU Presidency has focused on the Western Balkans, and the Government considers their engagement in the integration process to be particularly successful.
Three Montenegro EU accession chapters closed
Three EU accession chapters with Montenegro have been closed, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, in Brussels on Monday, adding that after 7.5 years, the integration process was speeding up thanks to the Hungarian EU presidency.
After the EU-Montenegro Intergovernmental Conference, Szijjártó told a press conference that Hungary’s presidency prioritised enlargement in view of the importance of stability, peace and development in the Western Balkans.
He said that the region’s countries have been in the EU membership corridor for 15 years on average, adding that in the absence of rapid progress, “we’d be putting not only the credibility of enlargement policy at risk but that of the entire EU in peril, too”.
He said Montenegro submitted its application in 2008, became a candidate in 2010, and negotiations began in 2012.
A merit-based process in theory had not worked in practice, “and somehow enlargement didn’t make progress even if the performance of candidate countries was good”.
Negotiation chapters on intellectual property rights, media, and enterprise and industrial policy were closed, he noted, adding that the last time the EU wrapped up a negotiation chapter with Montenegro was seven and a half years ago.
Szijjártó said Montenegro brought strength, momentum, freshness to the bloc, “something that we sorely need”, and “mutual benefits for Montenegro and the whole EU”.
Montenegro brought few risks as the bloc could easily handle the increase in population, he said. He added that as a NATO and a unilateral adopter of the euro currency, adaptation would be smooth.
Hungary’s largest bank, OTP, “is the market leader in Montenegro”, and Hungarian telecommunications company 4iG also plays an important role in Montenegro’s digitalisation development, he said.
Montenegro’s prime minister, Milojko Spajic, expressed gratitude to the Hungarian presidency for its work in speeding up the enlargement process.
Major progress made in the Serbian EU accession process
The Hungarian EU presidency has made a major step forward in advancing EU enlargement as EU affairs ministers in Brussels have approved opening a third chapter group for Serbia, according to a presidency statement on Tuesday.
Balint Odor, the head of Hungary’s Permanent Representation to the European Union, has sent a letter to the Serbian head of EU Mission on behalf of the Council of the European Union, inviting Serbia to submit its negotiating position on Chapter 16 on taxation and Chapter 19 on social policy and employment, which belong to the third group of chapters covering the topic of competitiveness and inclusive growth, the statement said.
This “significant step” for Serbia energises accession negotiations and the enlargement process, Odor wrote on the X platform.
The EU Council has held two intergovernmental conferences. On Monday, three accession chapters were closed with Montenegro, while on Tuesday the second group was opened with Albania, the statement noted.
read also: Hungary strengthening ties with Bosnia and Herzegovina
EU opens new accession chapters with Albania
The European Union has opened new accession chapters with Albania for the second time in two months, Szijjártó said in Brussels on Tuesday, calling the development “a great success” for Albania and the Hungarian EU presidency.
Hungary is clear-eyed about the importance of the region’s stability, peace, and progress. Szijjártótold a press conference after the EU-Albania intergovernmental conference, noting that the presidency prioritised the bloc’s enlargement.
Western Balkan countries have been waiting for EU membership for an average of 15 years, Szijjártó said. “That is unacceptably long and disrespectful to those countries,” he said.
Albania applied for membership in 2009 and became a membership candidate in 2014. Negotiations started in 2022, “but we had to wait until 2024, and the Hungarian presidency for the actual process to start,” Szijjártó said. The past two months, he added, had seen more progress than the previous 15 years.
Szijjártó said that opening the chapters relating to foreign ties and security policy was a good decision in view of Albania’s “excellent performance” in the field. The country, he said, was a reliable NATO ally and “has performed well in the UN Security Council”.
The minister said that Hungary had firsthand experience on the “enormous progress” that Albania’s economy had made in the past few years, as Hungarian companies in top positions on the Albanian market could attest to.
Hungary and Albania earlier signed an agreement on the training of 50 Albanian public servants at the Hungarian Diplomatic Academy, “because Hungary well remembers how complicated the EU accession process can be,” he said.
Asked about a remark by Estonian counterpart Margus Tsahkna that he felt Szijjártó was “playing for another team”, the minister said he was “absolutely right”. “We play for another team: he’s on the pro-war team, and I’m on the pro-peace team.”
read also: Hungary praises Albania’s progress on path to integration
Infertility treatments in Hungary: European Commission demands action
The European Commission has called on Hungary to comply with EU rules on medically assisted reproduction by sending a reasoned opinion to the Hungarian government for allowing only state-owned or state-operated institutions to provide infertility treatment from June 2022. These restrictions put Hungary in breach of Article 49 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which guarantees the freedom of establishment.
According to the European Commission, these provisions cannot be justified by public interest considerations, such as the need to protect public health or public order. The Commission said that the Hungarian authorities had failed to demonstrate that private providers had not previously provided safe and high-quality reproductive services. Moreover, the changes did not improve access to procedures, as the reduction in the number of providers had the opposite effect.
The European Commission also stated that Hungary’s restrictive legislation is not in line with EU values and principles. The Commission has given Hungary two months to respond and take the necessary measures. If the response is not satisfactory, the case could be referred to the EU Court of Justice.
Shortcomings in Hungarian aviation safety
The European Commission has sent another warning to Hungary, this time over civil aviation safety. According to the Commission, Hungary does not comply with the technical and administrative requirements of EU legislation on the operation of aircraft. The EU expressed concern that there are insufficient trained staff to properly supervise operators holding aviation licences.
According to the report, the Hungarian authorities have not put in place a sound management system to ensure adequate controls and audits. In addition, they do not always ensure compliance of the organisations concerned before issuing certificates, licences and approvals. These shortcomings may seriously jeopardise air safety.
The European Commission also considers that Hungary has failed to ensure that quality control systems meet EU standards. A letter of formal notice has been sent and the country has been given two months to respond and improve the situation. If the shortcomings are not remedied in time, the Commission may impose further sanctions.
European Union Laws and Hungary
Both cases illustrate the tensions between the European Union and Hungary in the area of legal harmonisation. The restrictions on medically assisted reproduction and the disregard for aviation safety requirements also show that the Hungarian government deviates from EU standards in a number of areas. The European Commission considers these measures to be not only illegal but also decisions that run counter to the interests of citizens.
The European Commission wants to ensure that EU citizens have free access to the services they need and that safety standards are respected. The coming months could be crucial for the Hungarian government, which could face serious legal consequences if the controversial rules are maintained. The European Commission could refer Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union, which could bring further international attention to Hungary.
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New survey: How much do Hungarians trust Trump to end the Russia–Ukraine war?
Fully 77 percent of Hungarians thinks that president-elect Donald Trump stands a good chance of ending the war in Ukraine in 2025, a survey published by pro-government Századvég on Tuesday has shown.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese Presidenet Xi Jinping and Trump, then the Republican presidential nominee, in July, “with the aim of gauging the stance of the warring parties and promoting peace”, the think-tank said in connection with the survey, conducted with a sample of 1,000 people.
The “peace mission” had been harshly criticised by the Brussels elite, Századvég said.
“The survey shows that, unlike Brussels leadership, the Hungarian public backs Orbán’s efforts to hasten the end of the war,” the think-tank said.
Fully 68 percent of respondents agreed that Orbán promoted ending the war. “Thanks to the pro-peace stance of Hungary, 74 percent opposes the US government and certain EU member states shipping long-range missiles to Ukraine, it said.
Further, 77 percent of Hungarians considered there was a realistic chance that Trump would successfully end the conflict in 2025, it added. Fully 51 percent of respondents had a positive view of Trump, the survey showed.
Unarmed Ukraine against the Russians?
It is important to underline that the Hungarian government has been saying for years that Ukraine should not be given arms, which would have meant that Russia would have been crushing our eastern neighbour.
Even yesterday, the Hungarian Foreign Minister said that although the Russians were attacking, the Ukrainians should not be given weapons to defend themselves. Related article: Orbán cabinet did everything to stop Ukraine getting aided arms shipments, but failed – details here
Several analysts have recently said that Trump wants peace, but it may be in the US’s interest not to strengthen Russia by doing so. Yet, at the moment, aggressor Russia is attacking in force, and Ukraine still needs a lot of help to keep up the attacks. The idea of peace is also very different for Ukrainians, whose territories are occupied, and for other countries that are watching from the outside and whose territorial integrity is not at stake.
The results of the current public opinion poll show very clearly that the Hungarian government’s powerful communication has reached the electorate, and they have taken it on board.
As we wrote yesterday, the Budapest-Kyiv train service has been restored; details are HERE.
Government Office takes Budapest Municipality to court over alleged unlawful operation
The Budapest municipality has been operating unlawfully for months and has failed to elect a deputy mayor, even though the government office of Budapest has demanded that it do so, Botond Sára, the government commissioner for Budapest, said on Tuesday, adding that the office is turning to the courts over the matter.
“If the mayor and the assembly fail in such a simple objective,” then the budget issue would be even more problematic, Sára said in a video on Facebook. Should it be adopted in its current form on Wednesday, the budget would also be unlawful, he said.
Sára said that Gergely Karácsony, the city’s mayor, had admitted that Budapest was close to insolvency and its operations were at risk.
Since City Hall missed the government office’s deadline for electing a deputy mayor and restoring lawful operations, the government office is turning to the courts, Sára said.
“Regarding the budget, we’ll see what the city assembly decides on Wednesday. We will take every necessary step to avoid putting the functionality of the city at risk, because the safety and comfort of Budapest citizens is our priority,” Sára said.
As we wrote earlier, Budapest City Assembly postpones the deputy mayor vote amid political tensions; details are HERE.
read also – Orbán cabinet: Budapest ‘can’t get out of paying taxes’
It’s over: European Commission has decided on Hungarian funds
“Hungary can at any time adopt and notify new remedies to demonstrate to the Commission that the measures adopted by the Council should be adapted or lifted,” the statement said.
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Tax benefits change, 3rd-country guest workers will earn less in 2025 in Hungary!
Péter Magyar: ‘Fake national security review’ distracts as health and economy in ruins in Hungary
Hungarian foreign minister lambasts EU ‘hypocrisy’ on Georgia
The European Union “has set the world record in hypocrisy” on the matter of Georgia, but Hungary and Slovakia have vetoed proposed sanctions against certain law enforcement leaders of the country, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said in Brussels on Monday.
Szijjártó told a press conference after a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council that the EU “has Georgia in its crosshairs” because a “pro-peace, patriotic, conservative party” had won the elections, rather than liberal forces. According to a ministry statement, Szijjártó rejected the EU’s “brutal political attack”, saying that the Georgian Dream party had governed for 12 years, “during which the average income has tripled and GDP and the volume of external investments have doubled.” The ruling party in Georgia had performed well and earned the trust of voters, he said. “Nobody in Brussels has the right to question the will of the Georgian people.” The minister said the reports of police brutality at demonstrations in Tbilisi were “one-sided”, and there had been “violent elements” among the demonstrators as well.
According to his Georgian counterpart, some 40 police officers were injured as a result, he said.
The EU “can’t impose sanctions on a country because they decided to push back accession talks to 2028,” he said.
read also: Orbán cabinet: Hungary congratulates Georgian Dream party on election win
“There was a puffed-up, resentful, frustrated approach to Georgia, which I refused to support.” Regarding the situation in Syria, Szijjártó said the country must not be allowed to become a hotbed of terrorism or extremist ideologies, and migration waves in the direction of Europe must be prevented. Further, the persecution of Christians must be stopped, he added.
“Hungary continues to provide aid for Christian communities so they can stay in their homeland and preserve their rights … So far we have provided humanitarian support worth some 30 million euros for Syrian communities, and we will continue to do so,” Szijjártó said.
read also: Georgia Shines as Guest of Honour at the 33rd Budapest Wine Festival
Péter Magyar: ‘Fake national security review’ distracts as health and economy in ruins in Hungary
Péter Magyar, the leader of the Tisza party, on Monday lambasted the government’s “bogus national security review” which he said was an attempt to divert attention from growing grocery prices, failing heating systems in hospitals and “the railway system falling apart”.
Magyar: no heating in the hospitals, unbearable inflation
Magyar said in a statement that many hospitals were without heating, and children’s wards were no warmer than 15 C. Meanwhile, the price of flour has grown by 40 percent in a year, that of chocolate by 30 percent and the price of dairy products by 20 percent, he said. He said the rail line between Veszprém and Ajka, in western Hungary, renovated six years ago, had become life-threatening and had to be closed down for six months. In other places, trains cannot travel faster than 10kmh, he added.
“Public services are falling apart, and the state is not functional,”
he added. Meanwhile, “ridiculously, [Prime Minister] Viktor Orbán and others are trying to divert attention from all that by the well-worn method of panic-mongering.” “The government ranting about the threat of terrorism and launching a national security review has in past years directly interfered with the elections of other countries, let two thousand people smugglers go from prisons, invited the former president of Iran to Hungary in secret, allowed heads of state and government with outstanding arrest warrants to stay in the country, rejected the International Criminal Court’s ruling regarding the prime minister of Israel, set free an Azeri axe murderer, directly supported dictators, and sent Hungarian soldiers into zones of civil war,” Magyar said.
Government reacts
Péter Takács, the interior ministry’s state secretary for health care, said in response to the accusation that heating was failing at hospitals. “Magyar started another day with lies and fake news”. Tisza said that the heating had failed at the children’s traumatology ward at Szent János Hospital, but the heating is working there, Takács said on Facebook. The heating system of the entire hospital was revamped this year at a cost of 2.8 billion forints (EUR 6.8m), he said, and the post-reconstruction works would soon be over, “so not even that will inconvenience the sick children”. “Péter Magyar is lying constantly; about hospitals and anything else, without ever considering the consequences,” Takács said.
Magyar responded on Facebook that Takács “has no idea what’s going on in Hungarian hospitals”. The Szent László hospital in Budapest “has no heating, the waiting area for specialist treatments is 16 C, children are lying in their coats in bed on the immunology ward, and the situation is no better at the dialysis and wards.” The hospital’s central heating unit broke down a month ago, and staff were told that repair work would start in January, and “might work again by February”, Magyar said.
Orbán cabinet did everything to stop Ukraine getting aided arms shipments, but failed
The Hungarian government has refused to contribute 6.5 billion euros of compensation to European Union member states that have shipped arms to Ukraine, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said in Brussels on Monday.
Szijjártó told a press conference after a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council that Hungary raised the sole veto to the payment of approximately 6.5 billion euros from the European Peace Facility to member states that have supplied weapons to Ukraine, thereby withholding around 77 million euros of Hungarian money. He added that neither Hungary supplied weapons nor contributed to the arms shipment. But if the other EU member states “want to do so voluntarily, Hungary will not stand in their way”, he said.
He added that Hungary will not give a nod to relocating an EU training mission coordination unit to Kyiv or the deployment of EU advisors to Kyiv to coordinate the reform of the Ukrainian security sector. Szijjártó said deploying people to Kyiv for the purposes of training, coordination, and advice as part of an EU program was “extremely risky” and risked escalation. Regarding the 15th sanctions package against Russia, which allows Hungarian oil and gas company MOL to export products derived from Russian crude oil, the minister called the exemption “important”. “As we managed to strip out the crazy ideas … we did not veto it in the end,” he said. Commenting on the attempt to put Patriarch Kirill on the sanctions list, he said punishing church leaders “should be avoided at all costs”, adding that all hopes for peace would be lost if lines of communication involving churches were cut.
read also: Hungary and Ukraine propose EUR 1 billion EU-funded infrastructure plan to boost connectivity
Also, he said the EU had tried to put Russia’s UN ambassador on the list, “which is strange as the UN is the last port of call for political consultations…” “We vetoed this and also signaled that we won’t at all support the sanctioning of the Russian Olympic Committee. Mixing sports and politics … is unacceptable.” Szijjártó said a new reality had emerged in the war in Ukraine owing to the election win of Donald Trump and to Russian military victories on the battlefield. Far from being “Putinist propaganda,” he added that even his Ukrainian counterpart had confirmed the facts on the ground. He said that, “sadly”, this new state of affairs had been ignored in Brussels as most EU member states were still pushing a “failed war strategy” and feeding the risk of escalation. Regarding a Christmas truce, he said no one at today’s council meeting had backed a ceasefire “that would save lives”. He added that some at the meeting had even spoken against the proposal of a truce. Szijjártó called his Polish counterpart’s suggestion that Ukrainian men of military age living in the EU should have their social support withdrawn “harsh”.
read also: A surge of Ukrainian refugees: the disappearing Hungarian identity in Transcarpathia
Hungarian government aims for transparency: The big EU Funds overhaul!
The Hungarian government is poised to introduce substantial reforms to the rules governing the implementation of Hungary’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, aiming to enhance the transparency of financial and administrative processes while improving access to EU funds.
According to Portfolio, the proposed measures span a broad range of areas, including project financing structures and oversight mechanisms. These reforms are expected to have far-reaching implications for both the Recovery EU Funds and the Cohesion Framework.
One of the most important changes is that the Restoration Fund now also covers investments based on projects financed from the central budget. This innovation means that the measures covered by the Restoration Fund will also be subject to the strict rules, even if they are not directly financed by EU funds.
The proposal redefines the concept of financial instruments to bring them into line with the current EU legal framework. The new rules will allow the combined use of grants, which will increase flexibility in the use of EU funds. The funds concerned are the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Social Fund Plus.
Control and transparency
The Internal Audit and Integrity Directorate will also have a broader range of tasks, with a greater role in identifying conflicts of interest and conducting risk-based audits. To support this process, the ARACHNE risk assessment tool will be introduced to help identify potential irregularities in a data-driven manner.
This is partly in response to the European Commission’s expectations to prevent financial fraud and detect irregularities quickly. The rules for setting market prices are also being revised to further increase transparency. For instance, if there are not enough bids in a public procurement procedure, the shortfall can be made through online bidding.
The role of EU Funds
The Regulation allows certain projects to be financed by the Cohesion Fund in the context of operational programmes for the period 2021-2027. This measure could be particularly important if there are obstacles to the absorption of RRF funds, as the deadline for the absorption of such funds is strictly limited to the summer of 2026.
The transfer of projects is subject to strict conditions to ensure that the original objectives and indicators are not compromised. This mechanism can provide a safety net to avoid loss of resources.
The proposal also clarifies a number of technical details. For example, the accuracy of data in the public accounts would be ensured through continuous information to the tax authorities, while the preparation of aid payments would be subject to stricter controls. Control procedures for advance payments would also be fine-tuned to reduce risks.
According to the rules, the new regulation will have a retroactive effect and will enter into force five days after it has been published. This means that the changes will also apply to pending cases.
The next steps
The draft regulation has been published for public consultation until the 17th of December. This will give stakeholders the opportunity to comment on the proposed changes. The government’s aim is to contribute to a faster and more efficient use of EU funds by clarifying the rules and increasing the flexibility of the legal framework while meeting the strict requirements of the EU.
The new rules will not only support more efficient implementation of current projects but will also help Hungary to be better prepared for future EU challenges and opportunities. The measures promise transparency, flexibility and optimal use of resources and EU funds.
Read also:
PM Orbán: ‘We are building strong countryside’
“We are building a strong countryside because without that there would be no strong Hungary,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at the inauguration of a section of Route 53 bypassing Soltvadkert, in southern Hungary, on Monday.
Hungary’s government had decided as far back as 2010 that it would put an end to the internal migration seen in rural Hungary, and had set out to ensure that certain parts of the country do not have to prosper at the expense of others. “We set out to make the Hungarian countryside an attractive place where it is worth living because there are jobs and high quality services and everything is accessible within a reasonable time frame,” the prime minister said. “It isn’t right that Budapest’s level of development is at 158 percent of the European Union average, while all other regions are below the average.”
read also: Happiness statistics: Hungary ranks among the least happy nations – Here’s why!
Orbán said the town of Soltvadkert and Bács-Kiskun County were “winners of the government’s measures”. He said the employment rate in the county has risen to 74 percent from 56 percent since 2010 while the unemployment rate has fallen to 4 percent from 10 percent. Meanwhile, the average wage has risen to 490,000 forints from 160,000, he added. He said the region would play an even more important role in the future, noting the government’s plan to set up a new economic zone in the country’s southern regions. The government has earmarked 330 billion forints (EUR 806.5m) in next year’s budget for making the southern Hungarian countryside stronger, resilient and independent, Orbán said. He noted ongoing investment projects in Kecskemet, adding that bypasses are also being built next to Szeged and Baja, with another one planned for Pécs.
Orbán said that when he last visited Soltvadkert during the European Parliament election campaign in the spring, “there appeared to be no chance for peace” in neighbouring Ukraine. Hungary, he said, had been under “tremendous pressure” from the United States for its pro-peace position, “and the pro-war Brussels bureaucrats were also giving us a thrashing”. But over the past six months, the “pro-war, anti-migration and pro-family forces” have gained a majority in the Western world, he said. Hungary’s ruling parties secured a resounding victory in the EP elections, established the Patriots of Europe party, becoming essential players in the legislative body, and in the United States “our brother-in-arms” Donald Trump was elected president, Orbán said. He said the Hungarian economy was set for a “fantastic year” in 2025, saying Hungary would emerge stronger “from the shadow of the war that has been going on for three years now”.
read also: Tax benefits change, 3rd-country guest workers will earn less in 2025 in Hungary!
Hungarian Sovereignty Protection Office flags another dangerous organization allegedly serving US Interests
Hungary’s Ökotárs Foundation is “the local distribution centre” of the “political pressure network”, the Sovereignty Protection Office said on Monday.
The office’s statement said the Ökotárs Foundation had been “distributing funds and building networks” for foreign pressure groups in Hungary since 1994.
Most of the foundation’s revenues come from abroad, it said. Initially, Ökotárs had received funding from American foundations like the Ford, Rockefeller and Soros Foundation via a central and eastern European network called the Environmental Partnership Association, and its financing model gradually changed following Hungary’s European Union accession, the statement said.
The office said that most of Ökotárs’s revenues today come from funds allocated by the European Commission, adding that the EC has earmarked 1.5 billion euros towards the “direct financing of political pressure groups” through its Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) scheme.
The Hungarian Sovereignty Protection Office said Anna Donáth, a former MEP of the opposition Momentum Movement, had played a key role in developing this financing model. Over the last two years, close to 18 million euros in CERV money has been transferred to Hungary, close to three-quarters of which had gone to “political pressure groups”, the office said. The Ökotárs Foundation received 3.3 million euros from those funds, which it distributed among “organisations belonging to the foreign pressure network like Amnesty International Hungary, the Helsinki Committee, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (TASZ)”, the statement said, adding that investigative reporting outfit Átlátszó and news outlet 444 had also received “significant amounts of money”.
The office said Ökotárs had also distributed funds disbursed by the the US embassy in Budapest. It said outgoing US Ambassador David Pressman had announced a call for applications for direct grants to “network actors” in the autumn of 2023, with the Ökotárs Foundation having been put in charge of distributing the funds. More than 115 million forints (EUR 281,000) in US funding was distributed by January 2024 among outlets like Telex, Klubradio, Nyugat.hu, 444, Magyar Narancs, Atlatszo and Tilos Radio, it said.
The Sovereignty Protection Office said it wanted to alert state authorities to the “grave risk” it said “the Ökotárs Foundation and the network covering the entire region” posed to Hungary’s sovereignty.
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Hungarian foreign minister: Not even the approaching Christmas holidays can dampen the warlike mood in Brussels
“Not even the approaching Christmas holidays can dampen the warlike mood in Brussels,” the foreign minister said on Facebook on Monday.
Péter Szijjártó posted his remarks ahead of the last meeting of his European Union counterparts in Brussels this year, saying proposals on the agenda for the meeting reflected that “the majority still does not see the new realities”. “While an opportunity for achieving a ceasefire and exchanging prisoners of war has been tabled, they still want to reallocate over 6 billion euros for weapons to Ukraine,” Szijjártó said.
“They are pressing Ukraine to send 18-year-old boys to the front, and sanction Georgian officials just because Georgian voters dared to elect a sovereigntist government,” Szijjártó said. The minister said he anticipated “a great fight” at the meeting, but added that “the Hungarian government insists on its pro-peace stance: Ukraine calls for a ceasefire rather than more weapons.”
FM Szijjártó: Few countries did more than Hungary for peaceful settlement of Russia-Ukraine conflict
There are very few countries that have made more efforts than Hungary for a peaceful settlement of the Russia-Ukraine conflict over the past one thousand days, the foreign minister said on Sunday.
The war has been going on for more than a thousand days and Hungary’s position has not changed ever since it broke out, Péter Szijjártó told public broadcaster Kossuth rádió. Hungary’s position, which has since been proven true, is that this war has no solution on the battlefield where there is only death, suffering and more destruction, he said.
He said that the war claiming human lives in the ranges of a million had not opened the eyes of everyone, adding that weapon deliveries had not changed the balance of power. The Russian army is forging ahead and occupying more and more territories, Szijjártó said.
“The only solution is to be found solely at the negotiating table; there must be talks, but for peace talks a ceasefire in needed first,” the foreign minister said.
Szijjártó noted Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s proposal of a ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners in humanitarian steps with the upcoming days of the Christmas celebrations taken into consideration.
He also noted the prime minister’s phone conversation with the Russian president earlier this week that lasted for more than an hour.
Szijjártó said that as Hungary’s foreign minister he had informed his Ukrainian counterpart as well as the head of the Ukrainian president’s office [about that phone conversation] asking them to arrange a phone conversation between Viktor Orban and the Ukrainian president which he said was rejected “in a bit uneasy, yet cultured manner”.
“Hungary has tried to do everything [possible] under its mission for peace in the past half year, even more than what could be or would have been expected from a country this size,” Szijjarto said.
“We have made every possible effort under our EU presidency in the past six months to use the presidency for a good cause, for a ceasefire, for starting peace talks,” Szijjártó said.
Talking about a threatening email received by Hungary’s embassy in Paris on Saturday, the minister said that it had been sent from a country neighbouring Hungary and contained a picture of a bomb.
The minister said his colleagues in Paris had immediately notified the foreign ministry’s security centre. French authorities arrived at the scene quickly and very professionally with appropriate technology and search dogs. As no explosive device was found, the embassy staff returned to their offices to continue their work, Szijjártó said.
He said that in his assessment “the world is in an especially dangerous situation today”, with armed conflicts going on at several places, terrorist attacks taking place, terrorist organisations carrying out coup attempts”. “In this situation every threat needs to be taken seriously,” the foreign minister said. “And we have done just that, as the safety, health and the life of our colleagues is most important to us,” he said. He also emphasized that “everything at the embassy has returned to normal,” adding that security regulations had been reinforced.
On another topic, Szijjártó called it a step “less worthy of allies” that the United States had put Gazprombank on a sanctions list as “it was clear which countries in the central European and south-eastern European regions buy energy from Russia due to physical, infrastructural and geographical realities, and it is also clear that they pay through Gazprombank“.
The minister said they had worked hard with the Slovaks, Serbians, Turks and Bulgarians in recent weeks to find a legal solution that will continue to guarantee the security of their energy supply without violating US sanctions, and they have succeeded.
Answering questions about how they managed to disperse a false media report that Bashar al-Assad’s airplane had landed in Budapest, he said that “it was a very rough situation” and it was incredibly dangerous “to involve Hungary in such a red hot conflict”.
“It is possible that this situation arose as part of an orchestrated secret service operation that posed an extraordinary threat to Hungary, so I believe that it is necessary to investigate as thoroughly as possible where this started, who participated in it, and those who participated why they did so.
“Putting Hungary in danger cannot go unpunished,” he said.
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Bulgaria, Romania Schengen accession one of Hungary’s greatest achievements, says official
The decision by European Union interior ministers on Bulgaria and Romania’s accession to the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone is one of historic significance and one of the most important achievements of the Hungarian EU presidency, the chief of Hungary’s Permanent Representation to the EU said on Friday.
Speaking to Bulgarian news agency BTA, Bálint Ódor noted that on Thursday EU interior ministers decided to remove checks on persons at the internal land borders with and between Bulgaria and Romania from Jan 1, 2025. “This achievement is not only significant for Bulgaria and Romania but also for the European Union and, of course, for Hungary,” Ódor said.
He said that during its six-month presidency of the Council of the EU, Hungary had managed to achieve a consensus on key policy objectives in areas like migration and the common agriculture policy, “which will guide EU actions for the next five years”. He said progress had also been made on the Hungarian presidency’s top priority of improving the bloc’s competitiveness.
Ódor said Hungary had also aimed to speed up the accession procedure of the Western Balkan countries. He said the opening of the first stage of accession talks with Albania had been another breakthrough. In response to a question, he said transatlantic relations will always be crucial for the EU. Hungary, he said, had a “good relationship” with US President-elect Donald Trump, adding he believed the country could “act as a bridge”.
Tuzson: Hungarian presidency will have last impact on EU competitiveness
Hungary’s EU presidency will be talked about “for a very long time” as its approach to competitiveness will have a lasting effect on how the whole bloc functions, Bence Tuzson, the justice minister, said in Brussels on Friday.
Speaking before a meeting of the Council of Justice Ministers, Tuzson said Hungary’s presidency had highlighted the importance of taking a broad approach to competitiveness that “permeates the operations of the entire European Union … in all areas, from civil law, the economy to criminal law.”
Competitiveness, he added, was a priority as Europe lagged behind its competitors. The Hungarian presidency has promoted matters that help improve the bloc’s competitiveness, the minister said.
Concerning the council meeting’s agenda, Tuzson said it would include a proposal to promote the application of artificial intelligence in justice, in order to make procedures faster and more efficient.
In terms of criminal law, Tuzson said it was important to adopt a planned directive aimed at preventing people smuggling. “If the EU wants to protect Europe’s borders it will need to take more effective measures against smugglers,” he said. He called for “firm and clear” action by the EU “to facilitate prevention of people smuggling across borders.”
The aim is to make EU members more competitive
Tuzson said passing European legislation against the sexual harassment and exploitation of children was a priority of the Hungarian presidency. The resulting new rules will increase international cooperation to investigate such cases and to take perpetrators to court, he added.
The Hungarian presidency made “unprecedented progress” on a directive concerning economic competitiveness and bankruptcy procedures, Tuzson said, adding that uniform regulations were necessary “to make European countries increasingly competitive and help them stand the test of time in decades to come”.
The minister was asked about money laundering charges against former EU commissioner Didier Reynders, and he said “such cases undermine trust in the EU” and called on the European Commission to do everything to restore people’s trust in European institutions.
Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Tuzson said one of the most important achievements of the Hungarian presidency had been a change in direction in the bloc in terms of shifting the focus of EU policies to the improvement of European competitiveness.
Tuzson said the Hungarian presidency had managed to ensure that every EU policy has to be considered from the point of view of whether it helps improve competitiveness.
The Budapest Declaration on a new European Competitiveness Deal establishes a comprehensive principle that competitiveness has to be a key consideration in all areas, the minister said.
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Hungarian President on Transylvania visit – PHOTOS
Franciscan friar Csaba Böjte does “exemplary work” in the children’s homes he founded, President Tamás Sulyok told the Hungarian public media after visiting a facility in Déva, in western Romania, on Saturday.
Sulyok presented a gift of toys to the children, gathered for the occasion from several homes in Böjte’s network. The president said he was moved to see “a close-knit, lively community” at Déva.
“In an atomic world, when society no longer has forces of cohesion … the strength of community, the power to help each other is especially crucial,” he said. “I saw on the children’s faces and in all their expressions how much they listen to each other … this is what adults should learn,” the president added.
Today’s free Romania unimaginable without László Tőkés
Today’s free Romania was conceived in Timisoara (Temesvár), with a remarkable contribution by [ethnic Hungarian pastor] László Tőkés to recovering the freedom of Romania and dismantling the dictatorship, President Tamas Sulyok said at a gala event marking the 35th anniversary of the 1989 Romanian revolution.
Sulyok told the event held at the New Millennium Reformed Centre that experiencing freedom started with the ethnic Hungarians and Romanians of Timisoara joining forces to protect a Hungarian family.
“Freedom is collective. There is no separate Romanian freedom and separate Hungarian freedom,” he added.
Sulyok said there was no alternative to community, joining forces, and belonging together.
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New motorway stretch, twin tube tunnel inaugurated in Hungary – PHOTOS
Local and central government officials inaugurated a 4-kilometre new motorway stretch of the M85 motorway, between the city of Sopron and the border with Austria, on Saturday.
In his speech, Orbán noted that in 1921 Sopron and its surrounding villages voted in a referendum to remain within Hungary’s borders, but the global powers had separated Hungarians with the new borders forced on them. But, he added, the fact that “we are here 103 years later” was a testament to the nation’s strength and its confidence in the future.
The prime minister said that after the first world war Hungary’s enemies had decided that Hungarians “should be small and poor”. But Hungarians never accepted this fate, and “we always wanted Hungary to be a big and rich country”. “If we lose the war, we’ll win peace,” Orbán said. He said Hungarians had always lost out when the nation had been “pushed to civilisational borders”. “We were on the losing end when the Christian-Islam civilisational border was located on the country’s territory, centuries of war cost Hungarian lives, and the country’s economic strength was also lost,” he said.
“We were also losers of the Cold War when we were ripped away from Europe,” the prime minister said. “Sopron was also a loser of this period, with the most difficult period in its history being the time when the Iron Curtain was but a few kilometres away, multiplying all the tragedies of the Trianon peace treaty.”
Sopron has only been able to develop when it was connected to the world around it, Orbán said. The Sopron area connects not just north and south, but also east and west, and is where the Carpathian Basin meets the Alps region, Orbán said. “And what’s true for Sopron is also true for Hungary: it can only develop if it can take advantage of its favourable geographical location and if it connects to the world around it instead of closing itself off,” the prime minister added.
He said this required active political and economic relations as well as infrastructure connecting the country to the rest of the world such as airports, railways, bridges and motorways.
He said his government had decided to turn areas that had been on the periphery during the Cold War into central hubs and “put Hungary on the map, in the middle of Europe”.
The government has spent 4,200 billion forints (EUR 10.3bn) on public road developments over the last 15 years, building 870 kilometres of motorways and highways, Orbán said.
Including the M85 motorway, there are now 10 expressways that extend to the country’s borders compared to just three in 2010, Orbán said.
The completion of the M85 links it with the Austrian border and the entire Hungarian motorway network, he said.
Romania’s accession to the European Union’s passport-free Schengen zone meant that “we have eliminated the Romania-Hungary border”, he said, adding that Saturday’s inauguration could be considered connecting Hungarians in Burgenland with Hungarians in Transylvania.
He said next year will see the M44 expressway linked to the motorway at Kecskemet, in central Hungary, and preparatory works are under way on road M49 as well as the new section of the M4 motorway. Today there are ten four-lane expressways that extend to the border, but that number will rise to 19 within ten years, he added.
Next year the government will spend some 8,100 forints on more than 300 investment projects which will make Hungary a “real connection point” and a commercial and logistics hub in Europe.
Orbán said his plan was that in 2025 “we’ll push the clouds of war aside”, adding that the government was working to make 2025 “a fantastic year” for the economy.
BMW and China’s CATL and BYD plants will start production and the Demjan Sandor Programme which aims to scale up SMEs will also be launched, the prime minister said.
Wages will rise, and Hungary will see an unprecedented minimum wage increase over the next three years, he added.
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