EU funds 28 October 2025, 3:03pm

Hungarian minister talks about inflow of EU funds

MTI

Hungary is successfully closing the 2014–2020 EU budget period, said Tibor Navracsics, Minister of Public Administration and Regional Development, on Tuesday. The country has drawn down 98.9% of its funds, which is significantly above the EU average, state newswire MTI reported, citing the minister's words at a parliamentary committee hearing. However, the current cycle is taking place under more complex conditions, with several operational programmes having been suspended due to corruption concerns.

"The closure of the 2014–2020 budget period is progressing well.

We have already drawn down 98.9% of the €22 billion budget.' This significantly exceeds the EU average of 97.9%, placing Hungary third among member states in terms of total utilisation,

said Tibor Navracsics at Tuesday's meeting of the National Assembly's Economic Committee.

According to the minister, we have a good chance of coming out on top in the end. Some 52,000 development projects were implemented with EU support during the seven-year cycle.

However, the 2021–2027 programming period operates under stricter conditions. Although the government that took office in summer 2022 agreed the Partnership Agreement and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan with the European Commission that same year, the Council of the European Union decided to suspend 55% of three major operational programmes — Territorial and Settlement Development Operational Programme (TSDOP) Plus, ntegrated Transport Operational Programme (ITOP), and Environmental and Energy Efficiency OP (EEEOP) — due to corruption risks relating to public procurement.

Hungary undertook to reduce the proportion of single-bid public procurements to below the EU average of 15%. It has fulfilled this commitment, and by 2023–24, it will be one of the seven best-performing Member States in this area. "Currently, three out of 27 Member States have an indicator below 15%, including Hungary," the minister pointed out.

hungary has received a total of HUF 1,314 billion in EU funding from the current budget cycle to date.

Of this sum, HUF 439 billion had been used by October, and 176 calls for proposals had been published. To date, the total amount of subsidies paid exceeds HUF 3,150 billion.

The minister highlighted the Competitive Districts programme, due to start in January 2025.

Under this programme, districts in cities with county rights will receive a development budget of HUF 500 million, while other districts will receive a uniform budget of HUF 250 million. Navracsics stated that all 174 districts have compiled their lists of development projects for next year.

Cover photo: Tibor Navracsics (Minister of Public Administration and Regional Development, pictured opposite, centre) at his hearing before the Economic Committee of the National Assembly in the Kálmán Tisza Room of the Parliament Building on 28 October 2025.Source MTI Photo/Lajos Soós