Hungary secures agreement to unlock €16.4bn in frozen EU funds, subject to conditions and August deadline (euobserver.com)

• EU Commission to unlock €16.4bn for Hungary, conditional on reforms by 31 August
• Funds include pandemic aid, cohesion, and academic freedom funding
• Disbursement expected by end of 2026 at the earliest

"The European Commission has reached a political agreement with Hungary to unlock €16.4bn in frozen EU funds. The release is conditional on Hungary passing a series of reforms by a 31 August deadline. The package includes €10bn in pandemic recovery funds, €4.2bn in cohesion funding, and €2.2bn for academic freedom. Disbursement is not expected before the end of 2026."