Peter Magyar Opts to Keep Quiet

Peter Magyar remains eerily silent about why – since last year – he made a complete U-turn on the issue of EU funds owed to Hungary. The leader of the Tisza Party did not respond to our questions, which we sent to him in relation to the fact that a year ago, he criticized Brussels for withholding the funds and spoke of an unjust political bludgeon, but now, he blames the Orban government for the delay. While Mr. Magyar stays silent, his party’s EU representative has made their stance clear: Kinga Kollar even celebrated the fact that the withholding of EU funds is delaying domestic investments, as she believes this offers a chance for a change of government.

Peter Magyar, President and MEP of the Tisza Party, and Manfred Weber, President of the European People's Party (EPP), hold a press conference in Strasbourg on 9 October 2024. Photo: MTI / Boglarka Bodnar)

Kinga Kollar’s speech is evidence that the Tisza Party has fully aligned itself with Weber’s anti-Hungarian agenda. And it’s worth recalling the words of Zoltan Tarr, the party’s delegation head in Brussels.

In an October 2023 interview with the Republikon Institute, Mr. Tarr admitted that the Tisza Party does not have an independent position. “In many respects, we rely on the position of the EPP,” he said, “and that’s also an obligation of sorts. If we are members of something, then we shouldn’t constantly question the responsibilities and viewpoints that come with that membership.” In another interview, Mr. Tarr likened the party’s integration into the EPP to a child being eased into preschool.

Soros Agents in the Tisza Party 

The public also got a strong sense of the Tisza Party’s direction when it became known who would be running on its ticket in the European elections. It was clear even then that these future MEPs would not be fighting for the interests of Hungary and its people in Brussels. Several of those eventually elected—such as Kinga Kollar, who has often appeared embarrassed by her Hungarian identity—have lived abroad for years and are assumed to have only a shallow connection to Hungary and its domestic realities. Gabriella Gerzsenyi, for example, opposes the government’s utility price cap program and views migration as inherently good and desirable.

The actions of Tisza’s representatives—especially Kollar’s revealing speech—make it much easier to understand why, in a leaked recording, Peter Magyar referred to his own party’s EU politicians as “Soros agents.”

Cover photo: Peter Magyar, President and MEP of the Tisza Party, and Manfred Weber, President of the European People's Party (EPP), hold a press conference in Strasbourg on 9 October 2024 (Photo: MTI/ Boglarka Bodnar)