Although Pest County is less-developed than Budapest, as long as it is considered to be in the same region as the capital, it is too wealthy to qualify for EU funding. The EU is expected to accept the separation, and by 2018 the county can be declared an independent region, origo.hu reported.

Cabinet Chief János Lázár first mentioned the possibility of Pest County and Budapest being separated in October, as the county ranks above the EU average in terms of development due to the capital’s economic performance.