The EU relationship was vital: Budapest had to get things on a better footing with Brussels to have any hope of unfreezing blocked EU funds before they expired at the end of August. Several analysts I have spoken to have pointed to the work Tisza’s leadership did in the weeks between its election victory and being sworn in as critical in this regard.
The relationship with Germany has deep roots: There is a common history around the fall of the Iron Curtain and reunification of Germany. I have yet to meet a German diplomat who does not mention this shared history with a deep sense of gratitude for Hungary’s actions in allowing East Germans through the border into Austria and the West. Even before that, Hungary (and Lake Balaton in particular) held a special position in German affections as a meeting place for families from East and West during the long years of communist rule.
But there is also a commercial reality to consider: that large northern neighbor is also Hungary’s dominant trade partner. As Germany’s new ambassador to Hungary, Alexander Schönfelder, tells us in his first interview with the Budapest Business Journal inside this issue, German companies already provide 230,000 jobs in Hungary, highlighting the deep integration of the markets. In terms of total imports and exports of goods, Hungary ranks 13th among Germany’s trading partners. None of this is new. Fidesz may not have been natural political bedfellows with those in charge in Berlin (indeed, it increasingly appeared to want to act as cheerleader-in-chief for the Alternative für Deutschland or AfD), but even it kept relations cordial, if distant.
But even so, the level of bilateral contact since May has been noteworthy. Johann Wadephul’s visit to Budapest in mid-September was the first by a German federal foreign minister in almost seven years. He had already met with his Hungarian peer Anita Orbán at a NATO meeting in May, and at a Berlin bilateral in June. At the same time, Prime Minister Péter Magyar met with Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Merz is due to make an official return visit to Budapest in November. That’s four diplomatic encounters, involving two pairs of senior officials, in the first four and a half months of the Tisza government, with a fifth already in the books for later this fall.
The contrast with April is striking. The relationship between Budapest and Berlin has moved from a period of political distance to one of active engagement, underpinned by shared interests and a renewed willingness to work together. The dance has begun in earnest, and both sides appear keen to keep the music playing. Whether this renewed warmth translates into lasting cooperation is the next question.
Robin Marshall
Editor-in-chief
This editorial was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of October 2, 2026.
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