After Orban's exit, EU officials arrive in Hungary for talks with newly elected leader

Days after the ousting of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, top officials from the European Union arrived in Budapest for high-stakes talks with the country's newly elected leadership. The talks are aimed at reshaping the bloc’s strained relationship with Hungary and are taking place just weeks before the new government takes office.

Meanwhile, in his first interview after losing an historic election, Orban admitted that a "political era has ended". However, he maintained that he would continue to be the leader of his party despite the election loss. Earlier this week, Péter Magyar’s party won a supermajority, giving it the power to amend the constitution and potentially roll back key pillars of Orbán’s foray into “illiberal democracy”.

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Hours after Orban's interview was aired, a delegation from the EU arrived in Budapest, in what is widely being seen as a critical reset for both sides. For the regional bloc, the visit marked a chance to turn the page on Orbán’s tempestuous tenure and persuade Hungary to lift its veto on a € 90 billion loan to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Magyar is scrambling to unlock about € 17 billion in frozen EU funds for the country. “The clock is ticking for several topics,” the EU commission’s chief spokesperson, Paula Pinho, told reporters on Thursday, as she explained why officials were travelling to Budapest before Magyar takes office in early May.

“Obviously, it is in the interest of Hungary, it is in the interest of the EU that we make progress as soon as possible … and that we do not waste any time.”

EU, Hungary attempt to mend ties

The frozen funds, which Hungary is seeking from the EU, include nearly €17 billion from the EU budget – €10 billion of which will expire at the end of August. To acquire this share of money, Hungary is required to implement conditions such as checks on corruption, the right to asylum and academic freedom. Apart from this, more than €16 billion in low-interest defence loans could also be on offer.

The delegation-level meeting came at a time when Orbán’s government said the ousted leader would not attend his final EU summit next week, sparing EU officials a potential showdown over his continued veto of the €90 billion loan for Ukraine.

During the talks, scheduled to take place on Friday, Magyar and Tisza will likely be pulled between campaign promises, the demands of the EU, and the institutional constraints created by Fidesz’s 16 years in power.

“Tisza has to cut this Gordian knot somehow, which will not necessarily be very easy,” Péter Krekó, the director of the Budapest-based Political Capital thinktank, told The Guardian. “The EU funds will be desperately needed so that Tisza can deliver at least on some of their promises,” he said.

Soon after winning the elections on Sunday, Magyar has sought to reinforce his message of “regime change” with a series of actions and statements making clear his intent to break from Hungary’s recent past.

He called for the resignation of the country's two highest courts, the audit office and the competition and media authorities, as well as the chief prosecutor and Hungary’s president, describing them as “puppets” of the former regime.