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13th August, 2026
Govt plans to shore up riverbed at nuclear plant
After the cabinet met in Paks on Wednesday, the prime minister announced plans adopted by the government to prevent occurrences such as that of last week, when the country’s nuclear plant almost had to be shut down completely, due to low water levels on the Danube.
Peter Magyar said a Danube riverbed shelf will soon be built near the nuclear power station, designed to ensure that the facility can operate at full capacity even during periods of drought.
He claimed that the previous government swept under the rug for many years the dangers predicted by researchers and experts, and neither initiated the necessary hot water investment nor the development of an alternative cooling system at the country’s only nuclear plant.
Magyar said the solution arrived at by the government was unanimously recommended by water management, energy and defence experts.
The cabinet decided to commence construction of a Danube riverbed shelf immediately – as early as today – between the power plant and the nearby town of Dunaszentbenedek, on both banks of the Danube, initially using 35,000 cubic metres of stone, later followed by a further 110,000 cubic metres.
Magyar said the defence minister has ordered 100 soldiers and two 80-metre barges to take part in the construction around the clock.
This project will ensure, within a few weeks, he said, that the water level of the Danube at the nuclear power station’s cooling channel does not fall below 90cm, thereby enabling Hungary’s most important power station to operate at full capacity. (blikk.hu; liner.hu; atv.hu; index.hu)
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13th August, 2026
Govt to take back huge sums bestowed upon Krausz foundation
The public tasks of the Elvonal Foundation for Leading-Edge Research and Talent Management, led by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Ferenc Krausz, and the Molecular Fingerprint Research Centre Nonprofit (CMF), which is also affiliated with Krausz, will be taken over by the state in the near future, the Ministry of Science and Technology informed Telex.
The research and talent management tasks previously assigned to Elvonal will be transferred to the ministry, and the legal status of CMF will not change until the founder decides otherwise, and it will continue to operate as a non-profit company.
The assets of organizations that received significant amounts of state funding will revert to the state. The Fidesz government bestowed hundreds of billions of fronts on the Elvonal Foundation, an organization operating in the form of a public asset management foundation (Kekva) performing a public task. The organization, led by Krausz, who had a good relationship with Fidesz, was established in November 2025.
This created a talent management organization operating in parallel with the existing scientific systems, in an opaque system – which, as it turned out, received a lot of state support, while domestic scientific organizations were typically chronically underfunded, Telex writes.
The Kekva model also failed to secure approval from the EU, as in this construction the state created private actors by law and by allocating state assets.
The structure allowed Fidesz to install its own people on the boards of trustees and supervisory boards, who could not have been removed from them in the event of a simple change of government.
Two months before the election, the government and the foundation signed a contract gigantic by Hungarian science funding standards, assigning Ft 261.7 billion to the foundation.
The contract showed that the government had secured the foundation’s funding for at least 25 years, which amounts to Ft 1 trillion.
The Tisza government then decided to abolish the Kekva entities, and thus also abolished the Elvonal Foundation on July 31.
Foundations that do not perform public tasks related to higher education were transferred to the ministers, and in the case of Elvonal, to the Minister of Science and Technology, Zoltan Tanacs. The rights and obligations of the foundations will be transferred to the state on August 31. (telex.hu; 444.hu; index.hu)
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13th August, 2026
Govt gave Szazadveg Ft 26bn in two years
The Orban government paid more than Ft 26 billion to the Szazadveg group for studies and opinion polls between 2024 and April 2026, according to data requested by website 444.
Spending accelerated before this year’s election: the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office, then headed by Antal Rogan, paid more than Ft 7.6 billion to the Szazadveg Public Knowledge Centre Foundation and Szazadveg Economic Research between January and March alone.
Among the commissioned work was a study costing Ft 200 million of changing political fault lines and a Ft 300 million poll involving 60,000 respondents.
Independent experts said such a large sample was unnecessary, as about 1,000 respondents can provide a representative sample and 3,000 can support more detailed analysis.
The Tisza government terminated the contracts with effect from April 30 and is reviewing the quality and use of the services for which the state paid. (444.hu; portfolio.hu)
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13th August, 2026
Regional leaders congratulate Baka
Several heads of state congratulated President Andras Baka on Wednesday on his election as head of state.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Baka’s election marks another step in Hungary’s renewal. He indicated that Ukraine is ready to co-operate based on mutual respect and advantages, in hopes that the changes will also strengthen good neighbourly relations.
In conveying his congratulations, Romanian President Nicusor Dan observed that Romania and Hungary may be seeing a valuable opportunity opening to further strengthen their co-operation.
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini also congratulated Baka, saying he is convinced that the two countries can continue to boost their co-operation on bilateral grounds, as well as in the Visegrad group and in the EU.
He also signalled that he is looking forward to a personal meeting at the next Visegrad Four summit in Slovakia.
Telex reported that Latvia’s President Edgards Rinkevic also said he is looking forward to co-operation between the two countries.
Slovenia’s embassy in Hungary welcomed the new president of the republic. (nepszava.hu; index.hu; telex.hu)
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13th August, 2026
BKK reviews plans to extend M3 line
The Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) has begun reviewing existing plans to extend the M3 metro line in Pest northbound towards Rakospalota-Ujpest, in order to assess construction risks and estimate the time required, according to the mayor’s office.
The BKK has extended the validity of all relevant railway-authority permits until December 2028.
The company has already prepared permit plans for a further extension to Kaposztasmegyer.
The M3 line has terminated at Ujpest since 1990, despite earlier plans for an extension.
The government’s Gabor Baross Railway Development Plan, announced in July, includes the Rakospalota-Ujpest section as the first stage of a planned extension. (portfolio.hu; nepszava.hu; blikk.hu)
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13th August, 2026
Study estimates extra profit for Fidesz-linked construction magnates
The five construction groups favoured by the Orban government – those linked to Lorinc Meszaros, Laszlo Szijj, Istvan Garancsi, Attila Balazs and Attila Paar – received a combined total of almost Ft 10.5 trillion in revenue in 2010-25, and a combined profit of Ft 1.3 trillion, Valasz Online calculated.
The groups’ combined profit margin was 12.8%, compared with 2-5% for less politically connected construction companies, and 6% for Lajos Simicska’s Kozgep before he was excluded from state largesse following a public dispute with former prime minister Viktor Orban.
Valasz Online estimates that Ft 900-1,000 billion of the five groups’ profits may therefore have resulted from overpricing or restricted competition.
Meszaros led the group with Ft 3.3 trillion in revenue and Ft 579.7 billion in profit, a 17.6% margin.
Szijj followed with Ft 2.9 trillion in revenue and Ft 341.6 billion in profit, while Garancsi generated Ft 2.4 trillion in revenue and Ft 204.6 billion in profit.
Paar’s profit margin was 13.4%, compared with 10.5% for Balazs. (valaszonline.hu; hvg.hu; portfolio.hu)
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13th August, 2026
Opus Titasz challenges exclusion from EU-funded tenders
Electricity distributor Opus Titasz, owned by Lorinc Meszaros, has rejected the decision by the state development bank MFB to exclude it from EU-funded electricity-grid and smart-metering tenders, calling the move professionally and legally unfounded.
The company said it would pursue all available legal remedies.
Opus Titasz said its application had passed the initial eligibility and transparency checks, and was subsequently assessed on its merits and approved by MFB.
Opus added that the bank even requested the documents needed to conclude the contracts on August 6.
The subsequent exclusion on transparency grounds was therefore incomprehensible and would deprive both Opus and consumers in the Trans-Tisza region of planned development funding, the company said. (portfolio.hu; 444.hu; magyarnemzet.hu; telex.hu; mfor.hu)
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13th August, 2026
MVM and MOL win oil and gas exploration rights
MVM Upstream Energy and MOL’s upstream unit have won rights to explore for oil and gas in three Hungarian regions for 20 years, following a tender by the Economy and Energy Ministry.
MVM will explore the Baracska area, while MOL will cover Bekescsaba and the Nagylengyel-Nyugati field.
Four other regions – Bacsalmas, Kiskore, Tiszacsege and Tiszalok – attracted no valid bids.
The winners have 90 days to sign the required mining contracts.
Hydrocarbon exploration is currently under way in nine concession areas and two additional locations.
Hungary produced 962,000m3 of natural gas and 576,000 tons of crude oil in the first half of the year, according to the Regulated activities supervisory body SZTFH. (portfolio.hu)
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13th August, 2026
MNB-linked properties offered again at lower price
Colliers Hungary has launched a second tender to sell three unused properties owned by MNB-Ingatlan, the real-estate arm of the central bank.
The properties were offered for Ft 23 billion in the spring; the combined starting price has now been cut to Ft 19 billion.
The Bolcs Var in Buda Castle has the highest asking price at Ft 8.9 billion, followed by the Balatonakarattya complex at Lake Balaton at Ft 7.5 billion and the 1,400m2 Pallas Athene conference building on Szentharomsag ter, also in Buda Castle, priced at just under Ft 3 billion.
The central bank had previously spent substantially more on acquiring and renovating the properties. (hvg.hu; portfolio.hu; mfor.hu; telex.hu; 444.hu; economx.hu)
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13th August, 2026
Fireworks show to be shorter this year
This year’s August 20 fireworks display will be a ten-minute show within a longer, 30-minute audiovisual story, according to plans presented to the media to the media on Wednesday.
The budget for the show is some Ft 4 billion, considerably less than the Ft 11 billion originally to be paid to a Gyula Balasy company.
Some pyrotechnics will be replaced by other visual effects, including a show involving 2,000 drones.
Traditional features of the national festivities will return, such as the army officers inauguration, an air show, the Street of Hungarian Flavours, the procession of the right hand of Szent Istvan, and the Parliament building open to the public.
Government spokeswoman Eva Magyar said there will be activities and festivities at ten locations in Budapest, namely Margit Island, the Danube embankment next to the University of Technology, Kossuth ter – which will be a Disco ter for the night – Parliament, Szabadsag ter, the Varkert, Buda Castle, City Park, Szent Istvan ter and the Bazilika.
Spokeswoman Magyar announced that the government is preparing for the August 20 national holiday with a three-day series of events.
Programmes will begin in some locations as early as August 19, while events will also be held in the days after the holiday.
A detailed schedule of the events is accessible at www.augusztus20. (hvg.hu; origo.hu; portfolio.hu; 444.hu; 24.hu; mfor.hu)
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13th August, 2026
Police raid Ambulance Service over procurement concerns
The National Investigation Agency seized documents and electronic data on Tuesday in a probe into ambulance procurement and repairs at two Budapest offices of the National Ambulance Service (OMSZ), suspecting negligent management of public funds, Nepszava reports.
Investigators searched the OMSZ headquarters on downtown Marko utca and its Robert Karoly korut station, about six weeks after acting director-general Miklos Constantinovics ordered an external review of the organisation’s contracts, property and 1,027-vehicle fleet.
Nepszava writes that the ambulance-vehicle market has been dominated by Finland’s Profile Vehicles and the state-owned BM Heros group, which have submitted joint bids since 2017.
The net price of an ambulance rose from about Ft 20 million in 2016 to more than Ft 62 million in 2025, although the increase alone does not establish overpricing, as vehicle specifications and warranty coverage have also changed, Nepszava adds. (nepszava.hu; portfolio.hu; 24.hu; hvg.hu; mfor.hu; index.hu)
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13th August, 2026
Hundreds of Hungarians stranded by Etna eruption
Hundreds of Hungarians are among the thousands of tourists stranded in Sicily as hundreds of flights have been cancelled since Mount Etna erupted last weekend.
The Hungarians say they have received no substantial assistance or information from the Hungarian embassy. (origo.hu; hirtv.hu; telex.hu; 10perc.hu; magyarhirlap.hu)
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