The latest Hungarian government briefing brought several major announcements, including a HUF 100,000 school-starting support scheme for vulnerable children, new legislation on former communist-era secret police files, changes affecting public-interest asset management foundations, and a proposal to rename Hungary’s “vármegyék” as counties again.
According to MTI, Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced the decisions after a cabinet meeting, saying the measures covered social support, transparency in public finances, EU-related legislative changes and symbolic constitutional amendments.
School-starting support for vulnerable children
One of the most immediate measures announced at the Hungarian government briefing is a HUF 100,000 school-starting allowance for children in need. At the official 2 July exchange rate, this equals roughly EUR 281.
The support will be paid in two instalments before the beginning of the school year and is expected to help around 400,000 families. Eligible groups include families receiving regular child protection benefits, parents raising chronically ill, disabled or special educational needs children, participants in the Dobbantó and Műhelyiskola programmes, and single-parent households.
Children living in child protection institutions, those raised by foster parents and children receiving orphan’s benefits will also be entitled to the allowance. The government said the measure aims to improve the opportunities of children starting from a disadvantaged position. Read details HERE.
Secret police files to be made public
The cabinet also discussed the long-delayed issue of communist-era state security files. The government plans to submit a bill on the full disclosure of the former regime’s secret service activities and the operation of the Historical Archives of the Hungarian State Security Services.
Under the proposal, non-classified descriptive data from so-called “six cards” and magnetic tapes would become public on the eve of the 23 October national anniversary. Recruitment files and B-logs would then be made accessible gradually, but no later than 31 December 2026.
The government said personal identification numbers and particularly sensitive data, including information related to health, addiction, sex life and sexual orientation, would be redacted. In justified cases, the data of those who were monitored, victims and third parties would also be anonymised.
A new advisory committee would be set up to support the review of classified documents. It would include national security experts, historians, archivists and lawyers.
Foundations, public finances and civil support under review
Another major block of the Hungarian government briefing concerned public-interest asset management foundations, known in Hungarian as “kekvák”. In the case of foundations performing higher education tasks, founder’s rights will be exercised exclusively by the education and children’s affairs minister on behalf of the Hungarian state.
The government reiterated that foundations active in higher education are due to cease on 1 August 2027, while other such foundations are set to cease by 31 August 2026.
The cabinet also decided to tighten public finance rules. Future government resolutions will have to publicly record major financial decisions, including the use of extraordinary reserves, budget reallocations and state commitments reaching or exceeding HUF 5 billion, or about EUR 14.1 million.
In addition, the deadline for submitting the following year’s budget would move from late September to 31 October, allowing the planning process to rely on more recent economic data.
The government will also launch a review of the National Cooperation Fund, examining the effectiveness and legality of civil society grants. The first deadline for the review is 1 August 2026.
If you missed it: New government overhauls Hungarian intelligence services after allied mistrust
EU harmonisation and energy rules
Several measures are linked to European Union commitments. The cabinet decided on amendments concerning the safety of electrical and electronic equipment and rules on hazardous substances.
The government also proposed changes to four energy laws in order to meet commitments under Hungary’s Recovery Plan. According to the announcement, this could make HUF 868 billion, or roughly EUR 2.44 billion, in frozen EU funds available.
The planned changes would support renewable energy production, especially wind power, and modify the rules for designating areas suitable for onshore wind farms. The height limit for wind turbines would rise from 130 metres to 199 metres.
Households and micro-enterprises with smart meters could also voluntarily choose dynamic electricity pricing contracts.
Counties may return as the official term
The government will submit a constitutional amendment to rename “vármegyék” as “megyék”, restoring the more commonly used term for counties. The heads of government offices would also be renamed from “főispán” to “government commissioners”.
For foreign readers, the change is mainly symbolic and administrative. Hungary reintroduced the term “vármegye” in recent years, reviving a historic expression for counties. The latest proposal would return to the simpler modern term used in everyday Hungarian.
The broad range of decisions shows that the cabinet is combining immediate social measures with longer-term institutional and legal changes. The school support scheme is likely to have the most direct short-term impact, while the opening of secret police files and the proposed public finance rules could carry wider political significance in the months ahead.
Source: MTI
What’s next? PM Péter Magyar’s first 50 days: promise and reality
