Hungary Set to Join EU’s Anti-Fraud Prosecutor’s Office, Opening Door to Corruption Probes
Hungary is preparing to join the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, a move that would expose years of alleged mismanagement of European Union funds under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government to independent criminal scrutiny for the first time.
The decision marks a significant shift for Budapest, which has long resisted joining the supranational body since the EPPO was established in 2021. Hungary was one of a handful of EU member states that declined to participate at the outset, a stance critics argued shielded the ruling Fidesz government from accountability over how it handled billions of euros in EU cohesion and agricultural funds.
The EPPO, headquartered in Luxembourg, has the authority to investigate and prosecute crimes affecting the EU’s financial interests, including fraud, corruption, and the misappropriation of EU money. Crucially, according to reports, the office’s investigative mandate can reach back to June 2021, meaning that transactions and decisions made during Orbán’s tenure that postdate that threshold could fall within its jurisdiction once Hungary formally accedes.
A Long-Delayed Step Toward Accountability
Hungary’s potential accession comes after years of mounting pressure from European institutions. The European Commission has repeatedly frozen or withheld billions of euros in EU funding allocated to Hungary, citing concerns about rule-of-law deficiencies, the independence of the judiciary, and the integrity of public procurement processes. Brussels has argued that without robust independent oversight mechanisms, EU taxpayers’ money cannot be adequately protected.
Officials said that Hungary’s move toward joining the EPPO is connected to ongoing negotiations with the Commission over the release of withheld funds. Budapest has been under considerable financial pressure, with significant tranches of EU money — particularly from the post-pandemic recovery instrument — remaining locked pending compliance with conditions set by Brussels.
The EPPO currently operates across the majority of EU member states and has already launched hundreds of investigations into EU fund misuse across the bloc. Its chief prosecutor has previously noted that the office focuses on cases where the alleged financial damage to EU interests is substantial, prioritising cross-border fraud schemes and systemic corruption within public institutions.
Civil society organisations and anti-corruption advocates in Hungary have broadly welcomed the prospective accession, though some have urged caution. They note that the effectiveness of EPPO investigations will depend in part on the cooperation of Hungarian national authorities, including domestic prosecutors — an office whose independence has itself been questioned by European oversight bodies in recent years.
For the broader European project, Hungary’s joining would close one of the most prominent gaps in the EPPO’s coverage across the bloc. Together with the remaining non-participating states, Hungary’s absence had long been seen as an anomaly, particularly given the scale of EU funding flowing into the country relative to the size of its economy. Whether membership translates into substantive investigations — and, ultimately, prosecutions — will be watched closely both in Brussels and in Budapest in the months ahead.
