The Council of the EU has approved the unblocking of €4.2 billion in previously frozen cohesion funds for Hungary and lifted restrictions on Hungarian universities’ participation in the Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe programmes. The decision was taken at the General Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg after Budapest fulfilled the rule-of-law conditions.
The funds were frozen in 2022 under the conditionality mechanism due to concerns over the fight against corruption, public procurement, conflicts of interest, and the independence of the judiciary under Viktor Orbán’s government. The original amount was approximately €6.3 billion, but part of the sum was lost under the n+2 rule. The remaining €4.2 billion is now available again.
On 23 September, the European Commission proposed lifting the measures after assessing the reforms that the new government of Péter Magyar notified as completed on 9 September. These included strengthening the powers of the Integrity Authority, introducing an asset declaration system, increasing procurement transparency, and expanding judicial oversight of decisions by investigative and prosecutorial authorities. Ursula von der Leyen stated that Hungary had “taken important steps to strengthen the rule of law” and noted: “A new chapter starts today. For Hungary and for Europe.”
The decision restores full access for all Hungarian universities (including those previously under Public Interest Trusts) to the Erasmus+ student exchange programme and the Horizon Europe research programme. Many universities had previously been effectively excluded from these programmes.
This forms part of a broader agreement on the possible unblocking of up to €16.4 billion. However, around €2.2 billion remains frozen due to concerns over academic freedom, while certain other funds continue to be restricted because of legislation on child protection, migration, and other conditions. The Article 7 procedure against Hungary under the EU Treaty has not yet been closed.
The decision was welcomed by both the Hungarian authorities and representatives of the European Commission. It became possible following the change of government in Budapest and a series of anti-corruption and transparency measures.
