Hungarian lawmakers have agreed to cut their salaries by 40% to ease public finances and reflect the integrity demanded by new Prime Minister Peter Magyar in a challenging budgetary context.
Magyar described the move as “an act of humility” in a statement last month to the RTL TV channel, and the proposal was unanimously adopted by all 189 parliamentarians shortly after his victory in April’s legislative elections.
From next month, Hungarian MPs will earn a gross base salary of €3,690. This will generate savings equivalent to one year’s operational costs of parliament, according to the conservative majority.
Mobile phone bill reimbursements have been eliminated, alongside reductions in parliamentary allowances for office rent, housing, and staff expenses.
Magyar linked the reforms to broader efforts to increase fiscal discipline and combat corruption in the European Union (EU) Member State.
During former nationalist leader Viktor Orban’s 16 years in power, corruption cost Hungary at least €186 billion, according to Ferenc Biro, head of the National Integrity Authority.
Speaking on Sunday in an interview with De Akciokozosseg, a citizens’ collective focused on democratic issues, Biro said the previous government had asked him not to exercise his oversight responsibilities.
