Martin Daly: Hungary's Vote, Orbán's Legacy and EU Funds
Martin Daly reflects on Péter Magyar's election victory and the fall of the Orbán regime in Hungary, and explains Ireland's and the EU's response. He outlines how conditionality work and withheld funds - more than €17 billion - shaped the outcome and what comes next.
Martin Daly reviews Péter Magyar's campaign and electoral success, noting that Magyar built support from almost nothing to winning roughly two-thirds of the vote. Daly says Ireland did not interfere in the vote, but that Irish ministers, including the Taoiseach Michael Martin, had repeatedly called out practices in Hungary that contravened EU values.
Daly recounts Ireland's role in negotiating the conditionality regulation and holding Hungary to account, which he says led to over €17 billion in EU funds being withheld. He stresses the link between rule of law, a free media and economic growth, arguing that Orbán's policies harmed Hungary's economy.
Daly argues for a generous but conditional approach: unlock funds to give value to Hungarian voters while insisting on reversals of policies that damaged democratic norms. He says restoring payments will help Hungarian communities and create opportunities for Irish businesses and exporters.
Daly recalls a brief meeting with Péter Magyar at the Munich security conference and notes that Magyar’s campaign succeeded without outside encouragement. Daly welcomes the change in Hungary as both a political and economic opportunity for EU cooperation and Irish trade.
Election outcome and Irish position
Martin Daly reviews Péter Magyar's campaign and electoral success, noting that Magyar built support from almost nothing to winning roughly two-thirds of the vote. Daly says Ireland did not interfere in the vote, but that Irish ministers, including the Taoiseach Michael Martin, had repeatedly called out practices in Hungary that contravened EU values.
Conditionality and withheld funds
Daly recounts Ireland's role in negotiating the conditionality regulation and holding Hungary to account, which he says led to over €17 billion in EU funds being withheld. He stresses the link between rule of law, a free media and economic growth, arguing that Orbán's policies harmed Hungary's economy.
Next steps and practical consequences
Daly argues for a generous but conditional approach: unlock funds to give value to Hungarian voters while insisting on reversals of policies that damaged democratic norms. He says restoring payments will help Hungarian communities and create opportunities for Irish businesses and exporters.
Personal encounters and broader implications
Daly recalls a brief meeting with Péter Magyar at the Munich security conference and notes that Magyar’s campaign succeeded without outside encouragement. Daly welcomes the change in Hungary as both a political and economic opportunity for EU cooperation and Irish trade.
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Transcript
Minister, I wonder if you could just reflect on the election of Péter Magyar as Prime Minister of Hungary, winning the election, I should say, and the end of the Orbán regime. Hungary just stood out as a sore thumb. I can't understand for the life of me why the European Union didn't take further sanctions against Hungary. I know monies were withheld. Hungary, and I suppose a lesson for other jurisdictions, if we follow the policies that were pursued by Orbán, and some of our colleagues on the opposition benches would do that, Hungary was the poorest country in the European Union. Yeah, I totally agree. I mean, Orbán basically wrecked the economy and it shows the link between adherence to the rule of law and democratic values and a free media as essential for economic growth. So we didn't get involved in the election. We didn't tell Hungarian people how to vote. We were very, very careful about that, even though the temptation was very strong. But over many years, particularly Taoiseach Michael Martin, myself and various ministers that have been in government, we've been very, very strong in calling out what the Hungarians are doing, including actually negotiating the conditionality regulation, working at my council on the rule of law issues and holding Hungary to account in terms of some of the things that its government had done, which were opposed to the foundational values of the European Union. And all of that had resulted actually in over €17 billion of funds being withheld from Hungary. And I met, you know, Hungarian politicians from the cities who would be not as Orbánist as maybe the rural areas, and they were crying out for the money. They really felt their areas were losing out big time because of this. Their economy was losing out. We had to take a hard line, though, and I think that the Hungarian people have reacted. They realized that Orbán took them to a place where they shouldn't really have been. Again, I say, Magyar was not allowed on the television. Incredible. I met Peter Magyar in Munich, actually, at the security conference a couple of months ago, had a brief conversation with him, and I wished him the best of luck, but didn't encourage anyone to vote for him. He did it himself. I have to say his campaign over a year and a half, actually, if you look back at how he did it, it's an incredible example of coming from almost nothing to getting two-thirds of the vote by sheer persistence. But I think I just discussed this with the Taoiseach before I spoke here today. Our view is that we should be generous to the Hungarian people. We should give them value for the vote that they've taken and work with them very, very quickly. And it will be a task for our presidency to unlock those funds. Obviously, there has to be some conditionality about it and to make sure that they reverse some of what happened. But I think there's a generosity required, and Ireland will benefit because they will be spending money. They will be seeking products and services, many of which will come from Ireland, if we're honest about it. So I think that this will benefit us too.