Orbán's main competitor promises to unlock EU funds for Hungary and hold a referendum on Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
Péter Magyar has promised to unlock billions of euros from the EU for Hungary's economy and hold a referendum on Ukraine's accession to the EU if he is elected next year.
Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar has promised to unblock billions of euros of suspended European Union funding to revive the economy if elected next year and hold a referendum on whether Ukraine should join the EU. This was reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.
Details
The publication points out that recently the international rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) lowered Hungary's credit rating outlook to negative from stable amid growing risks to fiscal stability due to trade wars, declining EU funds and high debt servicing costs amid budget weakening ahead of the 2026 elections.
Right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has been in power since 2010, has been waging a series of ongoing battles with the EU over rule of law reforms, which has led to the suspension of funding, hitting an economy burdened by years of high inflation.
It is noted that some polls show that the right-center Hungarian party "Tisa" has overtaken Orban's nationalist "Fidesz" in public opinion polls after two years of near stagnation and new risks for Hungary's export-dependent economy due to US tariffs on imports from the EU.
"Hungary will once again be a proud and reliable NATO ally. Hungary will once again be a full member of the EU," Magyar promised his supporters after presenting the results of a nationwide poll which he said would form the basis of the government's agenda.
While Orban's government expects economic growth to accelerate to 2.5% this year, S&P sees growth of only 1.5%, which will cover the weakest three-year period before national elections in Orban's 15 years in power.
Unlocking just EU funds could boost the economy by at least 1%, giving an additional 800 billion forints ($2.22 billion - ed.) to the budget
Assessing the results of the poll, he noted that the issue of Ukraine's membership in the EU is causing disagreements, so he will hold a mandatory referendum on this issue when the exact conditions of Ukraine's accession are determined.
"Orban, who strongly opposes providing Ukraine with NATO and EU military assistance, says that the country's membership in the EU will destroy Hungarian farmers and the economy as a whole," the authors add.
Recall
This week, Hungary will begin sending out ballots for a survey of citizens on support for Ukraine's membership in the EU. The Hungarian government continues to express concern about this issue.