The Commission proposes to release €4.2 billion for Hungary and restore its full access to Erasmus and Horizon Europe

The European Commission has proposed to the Council that the protective measures adopted in 2022 against Hungary under the Conditionality Regulation be lifted, as it considers that Hungary has remedied the breaches of the rule of law affecting the EU budget.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Commission:

“Hungary has taken significant steps to strengthen the rule of law and protect the Union’s financial interests. Today we are proposing to unblock €4.2 billion and reopen the doors of Erasmus and Horizon Europe to Hungarian students and researchers. I am delighted that they will once again be able to benefit fully from the opportunities created by our Union. This shows that reforms deliver results.”

If the Council approves the proposal, the €4.2 billion in suspended cohesion policy commitments would be reinstated, and access to Erasmus and Horizon Europe would be restored for students and researchers at universities maintained by Hungarian public-benefit foundations.

The Commission has assessed the corrective measures notified by Hungary on 9 September 2026 and their implementation, and has concluded that Hungary has remedied the shortcomings and deficiencies previously identified in areas such as public procurement, the anti-corruption framework, the risks of conflicts of interest and the effectiveness of judicial proceedings.

Specifically, Hungary has strengthened the powers of the Integrity Authority and its access to the necessary data; it has established a comprehensive asset declaration system; has increased transparency and addressed the risks of conflicts of interest relating to public-interest trusts, pending their dissolution; has extended judicial review of decisions by investigative and prosecuting authorities; and has significantly strengthened controls over EU funding, as well as transparency in public procurement and public spending in general.

Beyond the measures adopted under the Conditionality Regulation, Hungary’s accession to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, together with the new rules on beneficial ownership and public procurement, further strengthens its fight against corruption and the prevention of conflicts of interest.

With the proposed Council Implementing Decision now on the table, the Commission notes that the conditions for applying the measures set out in the Conditionality Regulation are no longer met. The Council has one month from the date of the Commission’s proposal to decide on the lifting of the safeguard measures adopted in 2022.

Background

On 15 December 2022, the Council, on a proposal from the Commission, adopted an implementing decision laying down measures to safeguard the Union’s budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary. These breaches related to the areas of public procurement, judicial proceedings, conflicts of interest, the fight against corruption and public-interest trusts.

The two measures adopted by the Council were: (i) the suspension of 55 per cent of budgetary commitments for three Cohesion Policy programmes during the period 2021–2027; and (ii) a ban on the Commission entering into new legal commitments with public-interest trusts and entities managed by them for EU funding implemented under direct or indirect management, such as Erasmus and Horizon.

In the 2022 Council Implementing Decision, the Council assessed the state of implementation of the seventeen corrective measures that Hungary had proposed during the procedure and found that significant shortcomings, risks and deficiencies persisted, rendering them insufficient to address the concerns initially identified by the Commission. In particular, the Council concluded that significant shortcomings remained which seriously undermined the adequacy of several corrective measures considered to be of vital importance for remedying the systemic breaches of the rule of law identified in Hungary.

 

More information: European Commission