"On Monday, two days after Mr Magyar was sworn in as Hungary's new prime minister, his new pro-EU government lifted the veto which for over a year has prevented the EU imposing sanctions on violent Israeli settlers. This followed a similar breakthrough on a long-delayed 78bn loan to Ukraine, which Mr Orban had also blocked. At a critical geopolitical moment, the end of an era in Budapest is freeing the EU to act in defence of its interests and values."
"Mr Magyar, who inherits a struggling economy stifled by years of cronyism and corruption, will hope and expect that the benefits of rapprochement cut both ways. In total, around 17bn of EU development funds to Hungary remain off-limits, following Mr Orban's refusal to address multiple transgressions of EU law. Agreement on the disbursement of around 10bn needs to be reached by the end of August. Brussels will want evidence of concrete progress in areas such as judicial reform and anti-corruption measures."
"In his first speech in office, he asked the Orban-appointed president, Tamas Sulyok, to step down by the end of May. Dismantling the insidious structures of what had become a soft autocracy will not be easy. Over the course of 16 years, Mr Orban and his Fidesz party overrode the rule of law to embed a formidable clientelist network throughout civil society. But the wind has changed."
"The unexpectedly decisive nature of Mr Magyar's victory and the fact that a two-thirds majority gives him the power to change Hungary's constitution appears to be draining power away from those associated with the ancien regime, many of whom are now under investigation. Over the weekend one of Hungary's richest businessmen, whose companies had monopolised the "
A pro-EU Hungarian government lifted an Orban-era veto that had blocked EU sanctions on violent Israeli settlers. The move followed a breakthrough on a long-delayed 78bn loan to Ukraine that Orban had also prevented. These changes come at a critical geopolitical moment, freeing the EU to act on its interests and values. Hungary’s new prime minister inherits a struggling economy shaped by cronyism and corruption and will seek mutual benefits from improved relations with the EU. About 17bn in EU development funds remains withheld due to unresolved EU law transgressions. Agreement on roughly 10bn must be reached by end of August, with Brussels demanding evidence of judicial reform and anti-corruption progress. The prime minister has moved quickly, urging the Orban-appointed president to step down by end of May, while investigations target figures tied to the prior soft autocracy.
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