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\n Published on 13\/04\/2026 – 15:39 GMT+2\u2022Updated
\n 16:08\n <\/p>\n
Hungary\u2019s landslide election today saw Viktor Orb\u00e1n ousted after 16 years as Prime Minister.<\/p>\n
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Having once described EU climate ambitions as a \u201cutopian fantasy<\/a>\u201d \u2013 blaming them for pushing up energy costs and destroying the middle class \u2013 Orb\u00e1n frequently backed policies that were at odds with the net-zero goals set by his government.<\/p>\n So are things likely to change under the new Tisza Party leader, P\u00e9ter Magyar<\/a>? <\/p>\n Although the 45-year-old is a former member of Orb\u00e1n\u2019s Fidesz Party, there\u2019s cautious optimism about his pledges to crack down on corruption<\/a> and rebuild Hungary’s damaged relationships with the European Union.<\/p>\n During Tisza\u2019s election campaign, the centre-right and pro-EU party promised to end political bargaining on environmental issues by rebuilding independent protections for nature and enforcing stricter regulation of polluting industries.<\/p>\n \u201cInvestments cannot endanger people\u2019s health<\/a> and the competitiveness of the country cannot be built on the environment,\u201d the Tisza Party said on its official Instagram page in February.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are building a liveable country, not only until the next election, but for the next generations.\u201d<\/p>\n Hungary\u2019s Tisza Party eyes energy independence<\/p>\n Hungary\u2019s newly elected Tisza Party promises to loosen the country\u2019s ties with Russia and bring it more in line with the EU.<\/p>\n It has vowed to end the country\u2019s reliance on Russian energy<\/a> by 2035 and double its share of renewable energy by 2040. <\/p>\n Orb\u00e1n\u2019s government repeatedly resisted EU sanctions on Russian oil<\/a> after the country launched its full-scale invasion in Ukraine in 2022, instead doubling down on cheap Russian imports. While this has helped Hungary maintain some of Europe\u2019s lowest energy prices, it has left the country vulnerable to shocks<\/a>. <\/p>\n While Hungary has already made strides in solar power<\/a> \u2013 which, alongside the transition away from coal, has contributed to a slow but steady decline in emissions \u2013 the country\u2019s energy mix is still dominated by fossil fuels.<\/p>\n Investing further in homegrown renewables<\/a> would boost Hungary\u2019s long-term resilience.<\/p>\n Improved cooperation with the European Union is also likely to unlock billions in frozen funds intended for the green transition.<\/p>\n A crackdown on polluting industries in Hungary<\/p>\n In its promised clampdown on polluting industries, the Tisza Party has explicitly singled out battery factories<\/a>.<\/p>\n One of Hungary\u2019s biggest environmental controversies, Chinese, South Korean and Japanese-owned battery<\/a> facilities have sprouted up across the country in recent years, spurred on by government subsidies and weak regulation.<\/p>\n Protests and court cases have erupted over the toxic air pollution<\/a>, groundwater contamination and illegal waste released by some of these plants, offsetting the environmental gains of the green tech they produce.<\/p>\n Greater transparency, anti-corruption controls and stronger, more independent environmental institutions would give authorities the power to better regulate or shut down harmful plants.<\/p>\n Protecting water as a national resource in Hungary<\/p>\n Like much of Europe, Hungary has faced droughts<\/a> and heatwaves that have placed severe strain on its water resources \u2013 and the outlook, under accelerating climate change, is bleak.<\/p>\n By early 2025, water levels in both the Danube and the Tisza had approached historical lows. <\/p>\n