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Péter Magyar vows to join European Prosecutor's Office and investigate Orbán-era corruption, as EU demands swift action to save evidence and assets
Europe and Hungary face the challenge of recovering EU funds allegedly misappropriated during Viktor Orbán's years in power. The newly elected Prime Minister, Péter Magyar, aims to break this system and restore trust with European institutions, making membership of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) a priority.
In his speech after his election victory in April in Budapest, Magyar declared to thousands of supporters that “Hungary has been liberated.” In this context, he reaffirmed one of his central promises: among the first actions of his government will be to join the EPPO, an institution that has been investigating crimes against the EU budget for five years, including subsidy fraud, VAT evasion, corruption and customs violations.
During his 16 years in power, Viktor Orbán had avoided membership in this structure. According to assessments by organizations such as Transparency International and reports by members of the European Parliament, a system of nepotism was established in Hungary, where people close to the government are suspected of systematically benefiting from EU funds. These benefits, according to the documentation, were realized through the use of agricultural land for subsidies, construction projects and public tenders with inflated budgets.
Meanwhile, according to media reports, oligarchs linked to the previous government are trying to transfer assets abroad, adding to the urgency for action. In Luxembourg, the incoming European prosecutor general, Andrés Ritter, expects a swift decision from Budapest on EPPO membership.
Ritter, speaking cautiously as an investigator, emphasizes that there is a well-founded suspicion that mismanagement of public funds has led to the enrichment of officials and people associated with the previous government. He raises the question of how many of these cases can still be investigated and how much funds can be recovered.
According to him, the key is to act quickly. Magyar must ensure that Hungary becomes an operational part of the EPPO immediately after taking office. “What is not secured as soon as possible – both evidence and criminally acquired assets – can hardly be recovered later,” warns Ritter.
This process requires Hungarian prosecutors to be delegated to the EPPO, where they will work under Hungarian law, but independently and under the direction of the central structure in Luxembourg. This is the basic principle of the functioning of the EPPO, which currently operates in 24 European Union countries.
An important element is also the possibility of investigations with retroactive effect. Ritter mentions the case of Poland, which, after political change, joined the EPPO and gave it the competence to investigate cases from 1 June 2021, the date when the institution began its operations. Such an approach requires legal preparations and sufficient human and material resources.
However, the process is not one-sided. To effectively investigate the last period of Orbán’s government, a real willingness to cooperate from the Hungarian authorities is needed. This is a challenge, as the state system, including the administration, courts, prosecutors’ offices and supervisory bodies, has been closely linked to the previous government.
In his victory speech, Magyar called for the resignation of the heads of key justice institutions, including the president of the Supreme Court, the head of the National Office of Justice and the president of the Constitutional Court. This demonstrates the effort for deep institutional reform, but at the same time places the responsibility for concrete results on the new government.
Ritter emphasizes that building an effective investigative structure in Hungary will be an important test of the credibility of both the new government and the European Union. This process starts with basic elements such as access to documents and information, but is also linked to a broader problem: the lack of resources for the EPPO itself.
According to him, the European Public Prosecutor's Office has not been sufficiently funded and equipped since its creation. However, the results show effectiveness: in addition to recovering EU funds, in some cases the investigations have increased revenues, for example through improved customs duty collection.
According to the 2025 annual report, published in March, the EPPO is investigating more than 3,600 active cases, with an estimated damage of around €67.3 billion. The majority of this damage is related to VAT fraud and smuggling, which directly affect the EU budget.
In the case of Hungary, however, the initial focus is expected to be on fraud with subsidies funds aimed at supporting farmers and regional development in the poorest EU countries.
To speed up the process and avoid the loss of evidence and assets, Ritter proposes the creation of a joint task force between the Hungarian government and the EPPO. He expresses his readiness to provide support, drawing on the experience gained over the years in building similar structures in other countries.
This development represents a crucial moment for Hungary and its relations with the European Union, testing the commitment to the rule of law and the fight against corruption at the institutional level. / Adapted "Pamphlet" from "SZ.de"
Zot po bëri vaki të ikin ndonjëherë këta, nga Balla tek Noka, nga Zeqineia tek Paloka, pa dyshim inkluziv dy njëshat, çfarë poshtërsish do dalin.
Pas zgjedhjeve të pritëshme, pa Berishen, kryeminister: Evropa dhe Shqipria po përballen me sfidën e rikuperimit të fondeve të Bashkimit Evropian e popullit shqiptar që janë përvetësuar në mënyrë të paligjshme gjatë viteve të qeverisjes së Edi Ramës. Kryeministri i ri i porsazgjedhur, synon të ndërpresë sistemin e "rilindjes" Rama dhe të rivendosë besimin me institucionet evropiane e taksapaguesit e vjedhur shqiptar, duke vendosur si prioritet anëtarësimin në Prokurorinë Publike Evropiane (EPPO).