World World World Hungary Hungary Hungary Péter Magyar, who was recently elected as Hungary's prime minister, met with Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, seeking to unlock EU funds frozen over rule-of-law issues under his predecessor, Viktor Orban. €33 billion are at stake. Lire en français Subscribers only Hungary has reclaimed "its European path," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said a few hours after Péter Magyar's landslide victory and the resounding defeat of outgoing prime minister Viktor Orban in Hungary's April 12 parliamentary elections. Since then, even before Magyar has been formally appointed to head Hungary's government, scheduled for May 9, Commission representatives have already met with Magyar's team twice. On Wednesday, April 29, the Commission president and her European Council counterpart, Antonio Costa, took turns receiving Budapest's new leader in Brussels. After 16 years of fractious relations between the European Union and Hungary – marked by repeated veto threats from Orban, due to his close ties with Moscow and opposition to European integration – both Brussels and Budapest have sought to signal a "reset" in their relationship. "We have no time to waste," Magyar wrote on X on April 26. His immediate priority, as he reiterated Wednesday, is to "bring home the EU funds that rightfully belong to Hungarians," which would be critical for a country with stalling economic growth. You have 79.08% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.