00:02The European Commission has unlocked 4.2 billion euros of cohesion funding to Hungary,
00:08citing progress made by the country in strengthening its rule of law.
00:12In addition, Hungarian students will regain access to the Erasmus Plus student abroad program
00:17and Hungarian scientists are to regain access to the Horizon Europe research scheme.
00:22The Commission considers that Hungary has addressed the rule of law breaches affecting the EU budget
00:26by correcting weaknesses and shortcomings in areas such as public procurement,
00:32the anti-corruption framework, the prevention of conflicts of interest,
00:36and the effectiveness of prosecutorial action.
00:39In 2022, the EU suspended 6.3 billion euros in cohesion funding to Hungary, citing rule of law breaches.
00:47Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who won a landslide election victory in April,
00:52had campaigned on a promise to unlock EU funds suspended during Viktor Orban's 16-year rule.
00:58The full unlocking of the funds now needs to receive final approval from EU member states within one month.
