Obtaining the funds was a top campaign pledge for Prime Minister Péter Magyar, a pro-EU conservative, who ousted Viktor Orbán from office in the April elections
Hungary’s government introduced wide-ranging draft anti-corruption legislation on Tuesday as it seeks to implement reforms to access billions of euros in withheld European Union funds.
The EU announced late last month it would unlock more than 16 billion euros ($19 billion) for Hungary that had been frozen over rule-of-law concerns during nationalist premier Viktor Orbán’s rule, if Budapest stays on track with a major reform push.
Obtaining the funds was a top campaign pledge for Prime Minister Péter Magyar, a pro-EU conservative, who ousted Orbán from office after 16 years in the April elections.
The bulk of the frozen funds – just over 10 billion euros – comes from the EU’s Covid recovery fund, and Hungary had until the end of August to present a new plan to secure them.
