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CNN highlights Hungary’s European Union-funded roundabout that goes to nowhere
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A roundabout that was built for HUF 500 million in a field near Zalaegerszeg has become the unlikely symbol of Hungary’s more and more twisted relationship with the European Union, according to a recent CNN report.
A roundabout that connects nothing
According to their article, costing roughly HUF 500 million (around EUR 1.32 million), the structure was intended to serve a new container terminal and railway line designed to connect Western Hungary more efficiently with European freight routes. Years after its construction, however, no railway line exists, and the roundabout stands unused in open farmland.
The project was meant to be part of a broader logistics development intended to strengthen trade connections between the Adriatic and Central Europe, allowing goods to bypass congested routes through Budapest. Local authorities say the project remains stuck in the public procurement phase, with construction potentially delayed until 2029, writes HVG.
The European Union funded the construction
The unfinished development has become a talking point in the debate over how Hungary has used European Union funding. Critics of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán argue that projects like this reflect a system where large amounts of EU money were absorbed into the economy without delivering lasting public benefit.
Orbán’s government has often clashed with Brussels, accusing EU institutions of political interference, while continuing to rely on EU development funds. The European Commission has withheld billions of euros from Hungary over rule-of-law concerns, including issues relating to corruption, judicial independence and public procurement.
The EU has frozen further fundings
Roughly EUR 18 billion in EU funds remain frozen, equivalent to around 10% of Hungary’s annual GDP. According to economists, EU funding helped Hungary maintain economic stability and rising living standards for years, but the withholding of funds is now exposing vulnerabilities.
Opposition politicians have argued that corruption and mismanagement have contributed to stalled or incomplete projects. Meanwhile, Orbán and his allies insist that Brussels is using funding mechanisms to influence Hungarian politics.
With national elections coming tomorrow, EU funding has become a central campaign issue. Opposition figures have pledged to repair relations with the EU to unlock frozen funds, while the government maintains that Hungary must defend its sovereignty against external pressure.
In case you missed it: What changes in Hungary if Orbán loses? Taxes, EU funds, institutions and everyday life explained.
Sums up the E.U. perfectly: expensive, wasteful, incompetent, useless.
Add a plastic bottle cap-tie and a cookie warning to the picture, and it gives you the sum total of that monstrosity. The sooner it’s consigned to the trash-heap of history, the better.
The Zalaegerszeg roundabout, specifically the large-scale project completed around 2022-2023 at the junction of highways 76 and 760 (near the ZalaZone automotive test track), was commissioned by NIF Nemzeti Infrastruktúra Fejlesztő Zrt. (National Infrastructure Developing Private Company Limited), which is the state-owned entity responsible for major transport infrastructure in Hungary.
Who Commissioned the Project?
The project was a state-funded initiative under the direction of the Hungarian Ministry of Construction and Investment. It was designed to improve logistics and access for the ZalaZone automotive test track and the expanding industrial park in the region, which are key pillars of the Hungarian government’s economic strategy.
Who Built and Profited from the Construction?
The contract for this specific infrastructure development was awarded to a consortium of major Hungarian construction firms. The primary winners of the tender were Duna Aszfalt Zrt. and Szabadics Építőipari Zrt.
Duna Aszfalt, owned by László Szíjj, is one of the most prominent players in the Hungarian construction industry. The company has frequently secured high-value state contracts for road and motorway developments across the country. Szabadics Zrt. is another significant regional player often involved in large-scale civil engineering projects.
The roundabout was built specifically to serve the ZalaZone industrial hub. This hub is managed by foundations and entities often staffed by former government officials or individuals loyal to the administration, creating a closed loop where the government commissions the road, a “friendly” firm builds it, and a “friendly” entity manages the destination it serves.
So @michaelsteiner … Your point is that the EU made our Politicians do this ???
@Norbert & Michael,
The relationship between the EU and it’s member states is quite dysfunctional, the relationship with Hungary epitomizing that.
At this point, just like the end of any marriage that has gone awry – one can point the accusing finger here or there, but, in the end, it is in vain, because the relationship is bad from both sides.
Blame is a waste of time.
Time to move on … for both sides.
Such a bot you Mouton!!
😂😂😂
This is the second time i got you say Norbert and the reply is not from Norbert 😂😂😂
how to beleive
Clearly if Orban wins, then his number one priority must be to leave the EU at all possible speed (and Schengen as well).
Anyting else would be hypocrisy.
I don’t think there will be anything left of NATO to leave…
Yes, Cliff – The European Union is headed for a divorce, no matter who wins the Hungarian election tomorrow, and, in reality, Hungary has already left.
The same old idiot Steiner 😂😂
We miss you stupidity, where were you???
THE EU needs to be transformed from within and not from the outside, hence the strong patriots movement gaining momentum. As for NATO, without the USA driving it, it can only become a talking shop the the UN. The V4 will be more important and maintaining Stability in Serbia will be paramount also. Hungary and the world needs a government of Fidesz, to stand firm and continue to make the right decisions.
For goods from Slovenia a “bypass track” to the west already exists — the decommissioned line between Zalalövõ and Körmend, with continuation on the electrified line north to Szombathely (Gyõr, Vienna, etc.). One wonders how seriously GYSEV considered restoring that route. Under Lázár, however, rail in general and rail involving GYSEV in particular became red-headed stepchildren : For example, the refusal to take up reinstatement of rail connections between Szombathely and Oberwart / Felsõör, with continuation to Wiener Neustadt and Vienna. Perhaps, starting Monday, perspectives will shift.