From the 2026 budget audit
1.3 billion Ft for agricultural grants beyond Hungary's borders.
1.3 billion Ft funds cross-border agricultural and rural-development activity beyond Hungary's borders — a discretionary programme with no rights-protection mandate for Hungarian citizens.
Roughly 321 Ft per taxpayer per year — 1,282 million Ft total — for grants to agricultural and rural-development activity outside Hungary.
What you see — and what you don't
The seen: recipients of cross-border programme grants, conducting agricultural and rural-development activity in neighbouring regions. The unseen: the Hungarian taxpayer whose contribution funds a subjective allocation by officeholders to activities outside Hungary's borders, with no identifiable benefit tied to their own rights or livelihoods.
Objection
"Cross-border cooperation in agriculture and rural development builds regional stability and is a Hungarian soft-power interest."
Answer
Where cross-border agricultural cooperation serves a binding treaty obligation, the relevant cost sits in the international-membership-dues line — classified Keep. A discretionary grant programme beyond Hungary's borders, without a rights-protection mandate for Hungarian citizens, is a subjective allocation. The phase-out honours in-flight multi-year project commitments.
Share if you think discretionary grants for activities beyond Hungary's borders should be reviewed first.
The analyst's verdict
Support for cross-border agricultural and rural-development tasks
Rationale
Support for cross-border agricultural and rural-development activity. This is a discretionary grant programme directed at activity beyond Hungary's borders; it is not a rights-protection function for Hungarian citizens, not an irreversible-harm response, and not a constitutional precondition. It is a subjective allocation by political officeholders. Phase out over three years.
Transition mechanism
Linear phase-out over 3 years to let any multi-year cross-border project commitments run their course.
Affected groups
Recipients of cross-border programme grants.
Free Society Institute
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