When Péter Magyar won Hungary’s parliamentary elections in March 2026, bringing an end to Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power, there was palpable relief in many European capitals. His inaugural visit to Berlin to meet Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) is set to be the next major test for his new government.
After the first wave of political relief, the focus shifted to specific, practical expectations for the new government.
The strained relationship between Germany, the European Union and Hungary has to be rebuilt. At the same time, Berlin and Budapest need to clarify how closely they intend to cooperate in the future on key European issues – from support for Ukraine to EU reforms.
“Chancellor Merz’s expectations of Prime Minister Magyar are likely to be fairly straightforward: if at all possible, Hungary should not cause political headaches in the foreseeable future,” Daniel Hegedüs, deputy director of the Institute for European Politics (IEP), told Euronews.
End of the Orbán era: what Berlin expects from Budapest
