Hungarian prime minister Péter Magyar is expected in Brussels this week, seeking to reach an agreement with the EU Commission on unlocking €10.4bn in recovery funds that were frozen over the rule-of-law breaches during the previous government of Viktor Orbán.
“Both sides will do everything they can to ensure that next week, when I travel to Brussels, we can sign the political agreement between the Hungarian government and the European Commission, which will allow us to conclude all issues by 31 August, despite the hard work and work throughout the summer,” Magyar told reporters in Budapest last week.
“The 31 August deadline may not seem like such a short time, but there is a lot to do. Not only do we have to amend and agree on laws, but we also have to transform institutional systems,” he also said.
To get Brussels to sign off, the new government must satisfy a checklist of 27 so-called “super milestones” established by the European Commission, which includes restoring complete judicial independence and implementing strict anti-corruption measures.
Last week, Magyar’s Tisza party, which enjoys a powerful 71 percent supermajority in parliament, submitted its first major constitutional amendment, limiting the job of prime minister to an eight-year term and seeking to take over 34 controversial “public interest asset management foundations” created by the previous government.
