EU officials arrive in Hungary for talks with incoming prime minister

Officials from the European Commission arrived in Budapest for Friday talks with Péter Magyar, who will take office as Hungary’s new prime minister in early May.

European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho confirmed on Thursday that the meeting is occurring just five days after Magyar’s Tisza party won a landslide election against current Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party.

The planned topics of conversation include the potential unfreezing of $20.1 billion in EU funds, $11.8 billion of which are due to expire in August. The frozen funds require Hungary to implement reforms including fighting corruption and affirming the rights of asylum and academic freedom. Magyar previously announced a plan to meet the conditions on Monday.

The European Commission team is also expected to raise the topic of a $106.4 billion EU loan to Ukraine, which Orbán previously vetoed.

Orbán, who spent 16 years in power, said he will not attend next week’s EU summit.

Magyar’s party won a supermajority in Sunday’s election, but experts said Tisza will have to contend with remnants of Fidesz’s tenure including federal and judicial positions packed with Orbán loyalists.

Orbán said he will continue to head Fidesz until the party’s leadership election in June.

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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 10:43 AM.