Hungary passes anti-graft measures, eyeing EU funds
Hungarian lawmakers approved anti-corruption measures on June 23, part of new Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s sweeping reform drive and aimed at helping the country get billions of euros in withheld European Union funds.
The EU announced late last month it would unlock more than 16 billion euros ($18 billion) for Hungary that had been frozen over rule-of-law concerns during nationalist premier Viktor Orban’s rule, if Budapest stays on track with a major reform push.
Pro-EU conservative Magyar ousted Orban from office after 16 years in power in an April election, on a promise of “regime change.”
The anti-graft legislation easily passed a vote in parliament, where Magyar’s party holds more than two-thirds of the seats, enabling it to change key laws and amend the constitution without opposition support.
