EU proposes lifting €4.2 billion in Hungary restrictions

The European Commission has proposed lifting restrictions on €4.2 billion in cohesion funding for Hungary and restoring access to Erasmus and Horizon Europe for some Hungarian universities, saying the country has addressed rule-of-law concerns tied to the EU budget. The proposal does not take effect unless approved by the Council of the European Union, which has one month from its submission to decide. The measures, imposed in 2022 under the EU’s rule-of-law conditionality mechanism, affect funding commitments and universities maintained by public-interest asset management foundations. If the Council approves the Commission’s proposal, the affected institutions would regain access to the EU’s student exchange and research programmes, while the specified cohesion commitments would become available. The Commission said it assessed corrective measures Hungary notified on September 9 and concluded that concerns involving public procurement, anti-corruption safeguards, conflicts of interest and prosecutorial effectiveness had been adequately addressed.