Speech by President António Costa to the Hungarian National Assembly on the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution of 1956

The AP reports that Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were in Budapest at the invitation of Prime Minister Péter Magyar[2]. According to the AP, Magyar took office in May[2] and his government unlocked billions in EU funds after implementing rapid reforms.[2]The Council's published text shows Costa telling lawmakers that "the revolution of 1956 revealed to the whole world"[1] Hungarians' "yearning for independence and self-determination." In the same speech, Costa said "democracies must not be complacent in the face of tyranny and imperialism."[1]The Council's text also has Costa citing official figures that "80% of Hungarians trust the European Union as a source of stability"[1]. He said Hungary's "economy has nearly tripled in size, while average salaries have increased fivefold."[1]In his speech, Costa also said that "sustainable growth depends not only on economic opportunity, but also on strong institutions, good governance"[1].Insight EU Monitoring reports that Costa "emphasised the importance of strengthening European defence, strategic autonomy and shared institutions while respecting national sovereignty."[3] It adds that von der Leyen "praised Hungary's democratic renewal, anti-corruption reforms and restored access to EU funding"[3].The AP reports that in an interview on Tuesday, Magyar called the revolution one of the brightest moments in the nation's history[2].