Von der Leyen and Costa in Budapest tie EU funds to reforms on 1956 anniversary

Anniversary ceremonies in Budapest

Hungary marked the 70th anniversary of the 1956 revolution on 23 October 2026 with ceremonies in Budapest attended by senior European officials. The uprising was crushed by Soviet forces, and the sources put the death toll at between 2,500 and 3,000. Imre Nagy, the prime minister who led the uprising, was hanged in Moscow in 1958. Prime Minister Péter Magyar organised the largest commemoration of his nearly six months in office, with dozens of events planned in the capital and observances across the country. He was due to speak at a rally in the square in front of parliament, an event expected to rank among the largest since 1990, when 23 October was made a national holiday.

Costa on prosperity and EU membership

European Council President Antonio Costa, speaking in Budapest, said the Hungarian economy had nearly tripled and average wages had risen fivefold over the 22 years since accession. Hungary joined the EU in the 2004 enlargement alongside nine other countries. Costa argued that European integration had brought new opportunities and that closer unity strengthens national identities rather than threatening them. According to figures he cited, the EU accounts for almost 80% of Hungary's exports and about 70% of its imports. He also said official data show that 80% of Hungarians regard EU membership as a source of stability and consider it extremely advantageous.

Von der Leyen links funds to reforms

Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission president, addressed Magyar directly and said that after the election the two had agreed a common path in which Hungary would fight corruption and restore the rule of law. She listed the steps Budapest has taken: stronger rules against fraud and corruption, greater transparency in public spending, accession to the European Public Prosecutor's Office, and changes to a child-protection law that she said address discrimination. As a result, EU funds have returned, Hungary's access to Horizon Europe has been restored, and Hungarian students can again take part in Erasmus. She promised further money by the end of the year, linked to the NextGenerationEU recovery plan and to funds tied to academic freedom, which previous governments had curtailed.

Election and democratic change

Von der Leyen said democracy had been 'reborn' in April, when Viktor Orbán was defeated at the ballot box by Péter Magyar, who is now prime minister. Eight in ten Hungarians went to the polls, many for the first time, which she described as the highest turnout since the end of communist rule. That evening people gathered in the streets, and she framed the celebrations as a spontaneous outburst of joy rather than an organised rally. Orbán, now a former prime minister, wrote in a post on social media that Hungary would not bend to foreign pressure or give up its sovereignty, and he saluted the heroes of 1956. Some Hungarian observers describe Magyar as preoccupied with history, pointing to his habit of invoking little-remembered figures and holding some cabinet meetings at sites of historical significance.