Vitézy’s ministry admits Péter Magyar was wrong about bringing home EU funds

The Hungarian government has not yet brought home the frozen EU funds, despite its claims that it has done so. The Transport and Investment Ministry’s latest response confirmed that the actual payment still lies ahead.

The dispute now centers on what the phrase “bringing home” the money is supposed to mean. The ministry said the government used the expression because it had completed the milestones required to draw the funds. But it also made clear that meeting those conditions does not equal receiving the money.

Under the process described by the ministry, Hungary must first submit its final payment request by Sept. 30. The European Commission will then carry out its assessment, followed by financial accounting and payment. The commission has until Dec. 31, 2026, at the latest to disburse the approved funding, worth about 10 billion euros.

That means the process remains incomplete. The Hungarian government says it has fulfilled its commitments, but the official EU evaluation has yet to take place, and the financial settlement can begin only afterward. The ministry itself stated that “financial accounting and payment now follow” under EU law.

The response also took a political turn. The ministry said the difference between the former government led by Viktor Orbán and the current Tisza government was that measures the Orbán government had failed to complete for years were carried out by the Tisza government within three months.