How the Tisza government could unlock frozen EU funds

After a change of government, one of the most urgent priorities could be securing the EU funds allocated to Hungary, but currently frozen. The challenge is made greater by the fact that resources from the Recovery and Resilience Facility can only be drawn down until the end of 2026, meaning the new cabinet would need to act immediately.

Talks could begin soon

Péter Magyar spoke twice with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, following the election. The purpose of the contact may have been to launch technical negotiations as quickly as possible on releasing the funds.

Sources cited by the paper suggest that a high-level Brussels delegation could soon arrive in Budapest to review the most urgent tasks. This is considered necessary because, in several programmes, there is no time left for prolonged political disputes: part of the EU funds can only be saved this year.

€10 Billion at stake in the EU Fund

The most important package is the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), from which Hungary would be entitled to more than €10 billion. Of this, €6.5 billion would be non-repayable grants, while the remainder would be available as favourable loans.

However, access to the money depends on Hungary fulfilling the reforms it previously committed to. Estimates suggest that as much as two-thirds of this envelope — around €6.5 billion — could still be drawn down. That is why the rapid release of EU funds has become a central issue.

A detailed plan may have been in preparation for 18 months

According to the report, the expert team working alongside Tisza includes financial specialists, lawyers and diplomats with prior experience in EU funding matters. Their task has been to identify precisely which conditions remain unmet and what fast-track solutions could be introduced.

The disputed areas reportedly include transparency in public procurement, stronger anti-corruption safeguards, judicial independence and public disclosure of state spending. If credible progress is made in these areas, the frozen EU funds could begin to flow.

Existing projects could be reclassified

The Orbán government previously launched RRF tenders worth around HUF 2,000 billion, which were ultimately financed from domestic resources or borrowing. Some of these projects were later transferred into other funding programmes.

A new government could reverse that process: some ongoing developments could once again be charged to the Recovery Fund. This would offer a faster solution, as it would not require launching new projects — existing investments could instead be financed through EU funds.

Not only Brussels deciding

If Hungary succeeds in accessing the RRF resources, part of the cohesion funding could also be released in the coming years. According to the article, the fate of several additional billions of euros may depend on how quickly the new government can reach an agreement with the European Commission.

The coming months could therefore prove decisive. It is not only a political turning point that may be approaching, but also the question of whether Hungary can recover a significant share of its frozen EU funds in time.

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