Overview
- Johann Wadephul traveled to Budapest on Monday for the first German foreign minister visit since 2019 and held scheduled meetings with President András Baka, Foreign Minister Anita Orbán and Economy Minister István Kapitány.
- German officials publicly praised Hungary’s rapid judicial and media reforms and highlighted Budapest’s recent expulsion of ten Russian diplomats as a clear signal of a tougher Russia stance.
- Wadephul was accompanied by a delegation of German companies to discuss steps to restore investor confidence in Hungary, where more than 6,000 German firms employ roughly 250,000 people.
- Berlin and Budapest said they want quicker normalization of bilateral ties but stressed that reforms must be verified and that deeper EU and NATO cooperation depends on durable rule‑of‑law progress.
- If reforms hold, diplomats expect renewed economic flows and closer security coordination with the EU, while ordinary Hungarians could see stronger protections for media and courts and clearer rules for business.