Hungary’s Prime Minister, Péter Magyar, has outlined an ambitious and controversial reform agenda that could dramatically reshape the country’s political and economic landscape, including a review of concession systems, tougher rules for the battery industry, and the possible removal of President Tamás Sulyok.

In a lengthy Pentecost interview with independent outlet Telex, Magyar said his government is working under intense pressure to finalise a framework agreement in Brussels this week to unlock suspended European Union funds before key deadlines expire at the end of August.

According to the prime minister, ministers and ministry staff are now focused almost entirely on securing access to the frozen funds, which he described as worth “tens of thousands of billions of forints”. He confirmed that Hungary’s delegation will travel to Brussels on Thursday to finalise a political agreement.

The planned projects financed through the EU money would include the purchase of new suburban HÉV trains and railway carriages, a nationwide affordable housing programme, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, and large-scale energy infrastructure and storage developments.

Kelenföld station fire shows state of public services

The interview began amid major disruption at Kelenföld railway station, where an electric locomotive caught fire earlier on Monday, temporarily forcing the closure of the station.

Magyar said he had spoken with Transport Minister Dávid Vitézy shortly before the interview. While electricity had reportedly been restored to the station, the prime minister admitted it would take hours for rail traffic to fully recover.

He argued that the incident demonstrated the scale of the challenges facing the new administration, saying the government was simultaneously attempting to restore collapsing public services while carrying out reforms.

Battery industry, concessions and wealth declarations under review

One of the most significant announcements concerned a broad package of planned legislative changes expected to be discussed at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting.

Magyar said the government intends to overhaul regulations governing Hungary’s controversial battery industry, an area that has sparked growing environmental and public concern in recent years.

The administration is also preparing to review several major concession systems introduced during previous governments, including:

  • the MOHU waste management concession,
  • casino-related concession rights,
  • private equity fund transparency rules,
  • trust fund regulations and taxation,
  • and wealth declaration requirements for politicians.

The prime minister added that asset declaration obligations would be expanded to cover party leaders as well, meaning former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán could also be required to submit declarations under the new rules.

Magyar also confirmed plans to establish a new Asset Recovery Office tasked with investigating questionable wealth accumulation and recovering public assets.

“Rogán Antal has many reasons to worry”

During the interview, Magyar sharply criticised several former government figures, singling out Antal Rogán in particular.

“Antal Rogán has many reasons to worry,” the prime minister said, adding that those responsible for alleged abuses under the previous system would face accountability.

Magyar repeatedly stressed that dismantling the so-called NER system — the political and economic network associated with Orbán-era governance — remains a central objective of the Tisza government.

At the same time, he acknowledged that the end of decree-based governance and the return to traditional parliamentary lawmaking would inevitably slow the pace of legislation.

President Sulyok could be removed

Another politically explosive topic was the future of President Tamás Sulyok.

Magyar claimed that polling commissioned by the Tisza Party showed between 70 and 80 percent of Hungarians believe Sulyok should resign. According to the prime minister, the government is preparing legislation that could remove senior Fidesz-appointed officials from office if a constitutional majority is secured.

Although Magyar currently supports keeping the president elected by parliament in the short term, he suggested that a future debate on direct presidential elections and expanded presidential powers could eventually take place through public consultation.

For now, however, he said there is no official candidate to replace Sulyok.

National security and Russian influence concerns

The interview also touched on national security matters and alleged foreign influence.

Magyar confirmed the appointment of Péter Tóth as national security chief adviser, describing his role as primarily coordinative and analytical rather than executive.

The prime minister also said the government intends to investigate possible Russian interference in Hungary’s elections, stressing the importance of rebuilding trust with allied intelligence services.

According to Magyar, Hungary’s civilian intelligence sector is currently in poor condition both professionally and organisationally, with many experienced experts having left the field in recent years.

Government promises “team-based” leadership

Closing the interview, Magyar described the formation of the new administration as a genuine “team-building exercise”, insisting that all state secretary positions had been filled with competent and professionally respected figures.

He also pledged to continue giving interviews to independent media outlets in the future.

Watch the interview below:

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