Hungary’s new government says it will stop using EU vetoes as political leverage

Hungary’s new foreign minister, Anita Orbán, said the country would no longer use its veto power in the European Union as a tool of political pressure.

Orbán said Hungary had “too often become an obstacle in Europe’s decision-making process,” adding: “We used the veto not as a last resort, but for political promotion.”

On Ukraine, Orbán said Budapest would support the country’s integration with the EU only on the basis of “strict national interests” and would continue to demand additional rights for the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.

At the same time, the new government plans to maintain Budapest’s policy of keeping its distance financially from the war.

According to Index, responding to a question about the EU’s €90 billion loan package for Ukraine — from which Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia had previously secured exemptions — Anita Orbán said the incoming administration would not voluntarily assume repayment obligations and would consider legal avenues to preserve Hungary’s exemption if placed under pressure.

Anita Orbán also criticized the outgoing administration of Viktor Orbán. She said that under the leadership of Tisza, Hungary would no longer be an isolated pawn within the EU or “a stick jammed into the gears,” but instead would become a reliable partner and coalition builder.

The new government’s main priority is to recover billions of euros in EU funds currently frozen over what Brussels says are “rule of law violations.”

Anita Orbán said the suspension represented the direct cost of losing Europe’s trust, adding that no successful country could be built on corruption.

The new minister pledged that the National Assembly would undertake a serious legislative effort before the summer recess to implement the necessary anti-corruption and transparency safeguards.

“The EU is not expecting anything that would be bad for the Hungarian people,” the new foreign minister said, rejecting claims by the previous government that Brussels had imposed policies contrary to national interests in exchange for funding.

Orbán also outlined the government’s geopolitical and economic goals, stressing that Hungary’s place was within the Western federal system.

She told the parliamentary committee that the new administration aimed to meet the Maastricht criteria and adopt the euro by 2030.

On the war in Ukraine, the new foreign minister reiterated that Hungary would not send troops.

On May 9, Péter Magyar, leader of the former opposition Tisza party, was sworn in as prime minister and formally took office.

Earlier, during parliament’s opening session, lawmakers elected a new speaker. One of his first decisions was to restore the EU flag to the parliament building.