The European Commission may unlock €35 billion in frozen Hungarian funds if the newly elected Tisza party mends ties with Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing several senior EU officials, AzerNEWS reports.
"He [Tisza leader Peter Magyar] has a full-fledged mandate to change things ... and we are engaging with him from day one," one official was quoted as saying. The main EU conditions for the new Hungarian regime are said to be the unblocking of the €90 billion loan to Ukraine and the withdrawal of the veto on new Russian sanctions.
The EU is said to have presented Hungary with 27 conditions in total, including anti-corruption checks and a change to immigration policy.
The potential €35B+ figure relates to funds frozen over rule-of-law and anti-corruption concerns. The EU requires reforms, specifically strengthening judicial independence and anti-corruption measures, before releasing these funds, as explained by.
Unlike the 2023 release of funds to Poland, EU officials are signaling a more cautious, stage-based release, requiring verified compliance with all 27 conditions rather than promises alone, reports.
