On 5 August 2026, the European Commission proposed that the Council approve a revised recovery and resilience plan (RRP) for Hungary, amending the Council Implementing Decision of 15 December 2022. The revision, contained in document COM(2026)432, follows a reasoned request from Hungary on 25 July 2026, citing objective circumstances that make parts of the original plan unachievable. The proposed decision would replace the Annex of the 2022 decision in full, pending Council adoption.
The amended plan modifies 36 measures. One investment, in special education needs support, is removed because it cannot be finalised in time. The other 35 measures are simplified to reduce administrative burden while preserving their objectives. Funds freed from a residential solar panels and heating measure will be used to increase its implementation level. Three clerical errors are corrected in milestones 61, 65, and 77 under component 8 (Governance and public administration). The estimated total cost of the amended plan is EUR 10 billion, with the financial contribution unchanged at EUR 6,511,661,435 and loan support at EUR 3,488,338,565. Climate measures account for 53.08% of the total allocation, and the plan continues to meet green transition criteria.
The revision is the latest step in a long-running process. The original RRP was approved by the Council on 15 December 2022, unlocking EUR 5.8 billion in grants and EUR 3.9 billion in loans. However, disbursements have been repeatedly delayed due to rule-of-law concerns, with the Commission freezing funds pending reforms. In December 2023, Hungary submitted a first request for modification, which was approved in 2024. This new request, submitted on 25 July 2026, is the second major revision.
The proposal now goes to the Council, which must adopt the decision by qualified majority. The European Parliament has no formal role in approving individual RRP revisions, but its committees have previously scrutinised the Commission's handling of Hungarian funds. The revision is expected to be discussed in the Council's Economic and Financial Affairs configuration in the coming weeks.
The changes are designed to ease implementation for Hungarian authorities and beneficiaries. Simplifying 35 measures reduces administrative burden, which could accelerate project delivery. However, the removal of the special education needs investment may disappoint civil society groups that had welcomed the original commitment. The unchanged funding envelope means that reprioritisation is a zero-sum game: funds shifted to solar panels come at the expense of other planned uses. The full Annex replacement also means that all milestones and targets are redefined, which could affect the pace of future disbursements.
For the Commission, the revision demonstrates flexibility in adapting plans to changing circumstances, but it also raises questions about the credibility of the original commitments. For Hungary, the simplified measures may ease implementation, but the plan remains under strict EU oversight. For EU taxpayers, the unchanged financial envelope means that the overall exposure is unchanged, but the effectiveness of spending will depend on the revised milestones being met. For civil society, the removal of the special education investment is a tangible loss, though the overall green focus is maintained.
The Council's decision is expected to be formalised in the autumn, after which Hungary can submit payment requests under the revised plan. The Commission's assessment will be key to determining whether the revised milestones are met and whether funds are disbursed without further delay.