Hungary has officially secured approximately HUF 92 billion (EUR 250.4 million) in funding through the European Economic Area (EEA) and Norway Grants for 2021–2028, following an agreement signed in Budapest with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
Hungary to secure a huge amount of funds
The deal makes funding available for projects ranging from environmental initiatives and healthcare to local development, culture and Roma integration. The agreement was signed by Hungarian, Norwegian, Icelandic and Liechtenstein representatives at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Hungary’s Rural and Settlement Development Minister, Viktória Lőrincz, and Finance Minister András Kármán attended the signing alongside Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, Icelandic Foreign Ministry state secretary Martin Eyjólfsson and Liechtenstein’s ambassador, Pascal Schafhauser. The agreement follows renewed negotiations initiated by Hungary’s new government. Foreign minister Anita Orbán helped restart discussions in September.
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Where will the money go?
Of the EUR 254.1 million available, the largest allocation — EUR 80 million — is earmarked for the green transition. A further EUR 42 million will support local development, while EUR 25 million is allocated to healthcare. Culture and Roma integration programmes will each receive EUR 16 million.
Another EUR 20 million will fund institutional cooperation and capacity-building, while EUR 9.4 million is assigned to the Fund for Bilateral Relations. The Civil Fund will receive EUR 26 million, with EUR 19.7 million reserved for other tasks and administrative costs.
The Civil Fund will be administered, monitored and supervised under the responsibility of the donor countries. A consortium led by the Ökotárs Foundation, alongside the Autonómia Foundation and Carpathian Foundation–Hungary, was selected to manage the fund.
Finance Minister Kármán promised that spending procedures would be public and transparent, adding that not a single euro would be lost. He also said Hungary would contribute approximately HUF 12 billion (more than EUR 32.6 million) from its own budget to co-finance the programmes.
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Why Hungary missed out last time
The agreement is a significant step forward from the previous funding period, when Hungary received none of the nearly EUR 215 million allocated to it — approximately HUF 77 billion at the time. The dispute with the previous Fidesz government centred on the management of the Civil Fund.
The Hungarian authorities and donor countries failed to agree on an independent organisation to distribute grants to civil society groups, leaving the broader funding package unavailable. Kármán criticised the previous administration for allowing the funding to be lost rather than accepting independent oversight of the civil grants.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Eide welcomed the new agreement, saying cooperation, the rule of law and confidence in democracy were essential to Europe’s future. He said Norway had approached Hungary’s new government after the April election to restore relations and reach an agreement.
The funding is intended to support economic and social development across Hungary while strengthening cooperation between the participating countries. Its impact will now depend on transparent allocation and the effective delivery of projects over the coming years.
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