Between Budapest and Brussels: Péter Magyar’s political tightrope

Péter Magyar has worked truthful hard to debar being labelled a “Brussels puppet” by his rival Viktor Orbán that he’s hardly been seen successful Brussels astatine all.

The person of Tisza, Hungary’s main absorption party, has mostly treated his MEP relation arsenic a level to face the country’s existent Prime Minister and boost his run successful Budapest up of the April 12 elections.

Yet, since helium was elected an MEP successful 2024, Magyar ne'er drafted immoderate parliamentary report; helium signed lone 1 solution successful a enclosure that produces dozens each month, and, according to galore colleagues, seldom attended committee sessions.

Magyar’s past quality was successful Strasbourg successful January, erstwhile helium voted successful favour of referring the EU-Mercosur commercialized woody to the Court of Justice.

“It appears that his information successful plenary votes is so alternatively low, astir 21% since the opening of the term," said Doru Frantescu, an expert from the EU Matrix, a deliberation vessel that provides insights and information connected the EU institutions. "This means that helium focused connected interior authorities not lone recently, but adjacent before."

The MEP connected a Mission

This reflects a wide mission: from the outset, Magyar has prioritised unseating Orbán aft 16 years of mostly unchallenged rule.

To that end, the European Parliament has functioned arsenic a springboard for his run launch, granting him immunity portion besides enabling him to forge alliances up of the important vote.

This momentum was already evident successful the June 2024 European elections erstwhile Magyar captured 30 % of the votes with a enactment founded a fewer months before. Soon after, the European People’s Party embraced Tisza’s 7 MEPs, bringing them into the continent’s largest governmental bloc.

With polls suggesting helium is connected way to win, Magyar’s run has intensified successful caller months, forcing him to absorption connected rallies and run events successful Hungary alternatively than successful Brussels.

In addition, Magyar is acold from unsocial - galore MEPs person historically utilized the European Parliament to beforehand nationalist campaigns. In his case, however, a immense bulk of MEPs enactment Magyar arsenic the champion alternate to Orbán, who has go Brussels’ nemesis, blocking cardinal EU files with his vetoes.

Against this backdrop, the Parliament has helped Magyar rise his governmental illustration some astatine location and abroad.

The lone clash betwixt Orban and him took spot successful the Strasbourg plenary during Hungary’s EU Council presidency, In October 2024. Following Orban’s customary code to MEPs, Magyar took the level to impeach him of turning Hungary into the EU's poorest and astir corrupt subordinate state.

The speech did not extremity there. Magyar aboriginal approached Orbán, and the 2 men shook hands—a photograph that rapidly went viral, casting Magyar successful a favourable airy arsenic helium appeared energetic adjacent to Orbán.

Yet an MEP’s relation is meant to equilibrium European and nationalist responsibilities, a equilibrium that has shifted successful caller years arsenic galore MEPs walk much clip successful Brussels and instrumentality a much progressive relation successful shaping EU policies.

After all, the Treaties intelligibly specify MEP’s duties arsenic playing a “key relation successful shaping EU rules arsenic they amend and ballot connected legislative proposals enactment guardant by the European Commission and negociate the last substance with the Council representing EU countries.”

A lawyer by profession, Magyar was appointed subordinate of 2 influential committees - Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) and Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI). Yet, helium has not been progressive successful immoderate study drafted by these committees.

He has signed conscionable 1 resolution—on women’s rights successful Iraq—and submitted a azygous written question to the Commission regarding onshore confiscation practices tied to the historical Beneš decrees successful Slovakia, affecting Hungarian minorities.

“I person not overmuch to say, arsenic I person ne'er seen him,” 1 MEP who sits successful a committee with Magyar told Euronews. Another 1 confirmed that Magyar’s enactment astatine committee level “has been greatly missed,” due to the fact that of his run commitments successful Hungary.

Contacted by Euronews, galore members of Tisza declined to remark connected Magyar's enactment successful the parliament owed to the governmental sensitivity surrounding the Hungarian elections. Others, however, reason that Magyar’s absorption to Orbán places him successful an unprecedented presumption compared with different MEPs.

“This is not a regular campaign, it’s a system-defining predetermination wherever Hungary’s precise EU rank is astatine stake, and it demands Péter Magyar’s afloat attention,” a Parliament authoritative adjacent to the Tisza Party told Euronews, claiming that carnal lack from Brussels does not mean disengagement.

“He remains afloat progressive successful each cardinal decisions. When high-stakes choices arise, peculiarly connected voting positions, helium often joins discussions directly,” the authoritative said.

Another authoritative said that without his parliamentary immunity, “he would person had problems getting to this point.” Hungarian authorities requested Magyar’s immunity to beryllium lifted successful 3 antithetic ineligible cases, but the Parliament rejected the requests by a ample majority.

Within the EPP, Magyar’s lack is noticed but mostly accepted.

“He ne'er participates successful the radical meetings,” an EPP authoritative told Euronews, adding that it was mostly Zoltán Tarr, the caput of Tisza’s delegation successful the Parliament who represents the enactment successful each the group’s governmental discussions successful Brussels oregon Strasbourg.

EPP officials admit that the group’s enactment has tolerated Magyar’s constricted engagement successful radical activities, viewing enactment for an EPP party’s electoral occurrence successful Hungary arsenic a higher priority.

Walking a tightrope successful Brussels

While Tisza is seen arsenic much pro-European than Orbán’s Fidesz, Magyar has been cautious to debar governmental positioning successful Brussels that mightiness beryllium unpopular astatine home, seeking to antagonistic Orbán’s communicative of him arsenic a “Brussels puppet.”

Orbán has accused Tisza of representing the EU’s and Ukraine’s interests, a assertion that Magyar rejects.

For Tisza, Ukraine’s imaginable accession to the EU is simply a peculiarly delicate issue: though it is supported by astir of the European Parliament, including the EPP, galore of its voters stay sceptical.

A akin hostility exists regarding the EU and the EPP’s committedness to expanding enactment for Ukraine. In February 2026, Tisza MEPs voted against the EU’s projected €90 cardinal indebtedness to Ukraine, aligning with Orbán’s determination to veto it.

“Tisza's borderline of maneuver is limited. Having a diametrically other presumption to that of Fidesz would not beryllium fashionable among a ample portion of the electorate,” Frantescu said. “They person to cautiously equilibrium betwixt the presumption of the EPP and that of the existent nationalist sentiment backmost home.”

On issues similar migration and the environment, Tisza acts arsenic a bridge, mostly aligning with its European governmental household portion maintaining proximity to Fidesz’s stance.

“EU and Hungary request a beardown outer borderline extortion and we should combat unneurotic against amerciable migration. I bash not hold with the redistribution of asylum seekers crossed Europe,” Magyar told Euronews successful an interrogation successful October 2024, a fewer months aft his predetermination arsenic MEP.

At times, efforts to entreaty to the Hungarian electorate person created friction betwixt Tisza and different parties wrong the EPP group.

Tisza has defied the EPP group's stance 3 times recently, prompting internal sanctions. Its MEPs voted against the EU-Mercosur commercialized deal, citing the request to support Hungarian farmers' interests, a determination that led Tisza’s lawmakers to beryllium banned from speaking astatine plenary sessions for six-month.

Another delicate contented is Tisza’s effort to region itself from EPP seat Manfred Weber and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, some depicted negatively by the Hungarian authorities and often shown alongside Magyar successful Fidesz’s run posters.

This positioning is reflected successful its parliamentary behaviour: Tisza MEPs did not enactment von der Leyen successful the past vote of confidence successful January, a determination wide seen arsenic intentional.

“We are thankful for the confirmation from Brussels that Tisza politicians person nary owners," Magyar wrote connected Facebook astatine the time, signalling that his committedness to EPP and EU principles has consistently been secondary to home opinion.