The European Commission is to unlock over €16.4 billion in frozen EU funds, Ursula von der Leyen has announced.

The funds were unlocked after talks with Péter Magyar, the new Hungarian prime minister in Brussels.

Magyar expressed his gratitude and admitted he had not hoped for so much, so quickly after beating Viktor Orbán in elections last month.

“One of our most commitments during the campaign, was that we where going to unlock the billions of euros that Hungarians deserve,” he said.

“We were tough negotiations partners – the president can attest to that – we fought for every last cent.”

Von der Leyen said “[Hungarians] made a clear choice. They choice democracy. They chose to return to the heart of Europe.”

(cs)