Hungary’s incoming PM seeks Polish help to renew EU relations | Hungary

Hungarian election winner Péter Magyar plans to establish a special relationship with Polish prime minister Donald Tusk to benefit from the neighboring country’s experience in repairing relations with the EU after years of illiberal rule.

There appear to be parallels between the roads of the two countries since 1989. Now two center-right, pro-European leaders are presiding over the difficult task of restoring the rule of law and improving state institutions after years of democratic backsliding and conflict with the EU.

Leaders speak to an enthusiastic Tusk on election night to call Magyar from Korea: “I’m very happy. I think I’m even happier than you, you know?”

Tusk told reporters the next morning: “First Warsaw, then Bucharest, Chisinau and now Budapest. This part of Europe shows that we are not doomed to corrupt and authoritarian rule.”

Visibly relieved, he added: “It’s a weight off my shoulders because I was worried all the way through.”

Magyar quickly reciprocated the compliments. At a press conference flanked by Hungarian flags flanked by EU flags, he spoke of a “special relationship” with Poland and chose Warsaw for his first foreign trip in office.

He also confirmed plans to act quickly to prevent two former Polish ministers hiding in Budapest from being investigated for alleged abuse of power, saying they “should not go to Ikea and buy furniture because they will not be there for long”. The ministers served in Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) government, which lost power to Tusk’s Civil Coalition in 2023.

appeared on friday new parliament could open on May 9 and Magyars could be sworn inIt is celebrated as “Europe Day” by the EU.

The partnership between the two leaders could play an important role in bringing Budapest back to the main axis of European politics.

Tusk will be the most experienced leader at the table when Magyar replaces outgoing leader Viktor Orbán at the European Council. His support and advice could be useful in negotiations with the bloc.

On Friday, EU officials held their first unofficial meeting with the new administration in Budapest. Brussels will want Magyar to lift its blockade on Hungary’s 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine and agree on new sanctions against Russia in an early signal of political realignment.

Hungary will also be expected to meet various conditions regarding its institutions, judicial system, anti-corruption controls, asylum laws and academic freedoms.

Behind the scenes, Polish and Hungarian officials are talking about how Poland’s latest efforts to reverse years of illiberal rule could be applied to Hungary.

In 2023, the Civil Coalition overthrew the right-wing populist PiS and successfully managed to release billions of dollars of frozen EU funds.

A senior Polish official involved in the process said the informal talks, which started in early 2026, months before the elections, were “essentially about salvaging as much as possible of what would have been lost under Orbán.”

However, the clock is ticking as Hungary will need to reach “super milestones” by the end of August to access the first tranche of €10.4 billion. Approximately 2.12 billion euros have already been permanently lost.

Polish officials, who were granted anonymity to talk about the confidential process, said they hoped for rapid progress but had told their Hungarian partners that “words will not be enough; they will have to change things really and quickly.”

A source said: “There is always a political element to these talks, but there is no way of getting around the fact that the paperwork needs to be in order.”

Magyar’s landslide victory and a two-thirds constitutional majority in parliament will make the process smoother than in Poland, where changes have been blocked by opposition leaders’ looming veto power, but it will still “require 24/7 work to get it done on time,” they said.

Although the Hungarian president does not have similarly sweeping privileges, Magyar had warned Orbán’s close ally Tamás Sulyok to resign or face impeachment because he did not want to take risks and wanted a symbolic break with the regime.

Magyar’s promise to join the European prosecutor’s office and investigate fraud and corruption in Orbán’s 16-year rule is also seen as a key element of the changes. Poland prepared its application to join the EPPO on the first day of the new government.

Adam Bodnar, who was Poland’s justice minister until July last year, said it was not surprising that the talks were being held before the Magyar government was sworn in.

“You don’t really wait for the first day of government,” he told the Guardian in his Warsaw office. “We had some dealings with the commission for essentially two weeks before the cabinet was formed, so I bet Magyar’s people are already in danger… they’re wondering how this can be done.”

With a two-thirds majority, “when they present a plan of action, they can actually deliver on all of it. We couldn’t… and so we have to look for sometimes quite acrobatic solutions.”

But Bodnar said some of Poland’s problems could still concern Hungary as officials seek to overhaul systems steeped in liberalism.

“You can reform institutions, appoint new judges or organize competitions for top posts, but in the end there will still be people who have been part of the system for 16 years and cannot be replaced overnight,” he said. “So there is always the question of what impact. [the Orbán era] “It will affect the mentality of state officials, prosecutors and judges.”