Hungary : benefits from EU membership.
Date: 2023-12-13
Institutions: Directorate-General for Communication
Subjects: EU financing, European Union membership, Hungary, economic growth, project funding, single market

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Everybody wins from EU membership. All EU Member States benefit from pooling resources 
together in a direct and indirect way, being part of the single market, from standing together 
to address common challenges, such as migration and fighting terrorism and climate 
change. EU citizens  enjoy better lives such as borderless travel, affordable phone calls from 
abroad, better transports, modernised public services and cutting-edge medical treatments.

Member States’ benefits from the single market 
exceeded 6 times their contributions, meaning 
one-to-six return on investment. This is because 

the single market gives access to 450 million 
customers and creates business opportunities 
that no EU country can offer on their own.

EU contribution to Hungary’s economic growth 

Since it joined the EU in 2004, Hungary has 
enjoyed sustained economic growth, with its 
Gross National Income (GNI) increasing by 4.3% 
per year on average, despite two global recessions 
– the global economic and financial crisis and the 
economic shock due to COVID-19. 

The EU budget played a pivotal role in this 
convergence process with a total of €82.5 billion 
invested in the HU economy, equal to 3.6% of 
Hungary’s GDP annually and 80% of total public 
investment. Moreover, EU funds are a major 
source of foreign currency for the economy.

Hungary’s economy has been converging to the 
average of the EU-27, with its Gross Domestic 
Product (GDP) per capita going from 62.8% of the 
EU-27 in 2004 to 77% in 2022 while employment 
rate increased from 61.9% to 80.3% over the same 
period.

The EU is the first destination of Hungary’s exports 
of goods, taking over 80%. The value of these has 
increased from €30 billion in 2002 to €113 billion 
in 2022, with an average increase of 6.9% per year. 

During the last financing period 2014-2020, 
Hungary has on average received 5.6 times more 
EU funds than it contributed to the EU budget 
(€39.5 billion in EU funds received against €7.1 
billion of national contributions).

HUNGARY’S 
EXPORTS

80% 

to the EU

 Hungary Benefits fromEU membership December 2023#EUBudget 
Examples of EU-supported projects 
benefitting Hungarian citizens

Metro line in Budapest 

Hungarian Nobel Prize winner

Funds from the European Research Council (ERC) 
have supported the Hungarian researcher Ferenc 
Krausz and his colleague Anne L’Huillier who won 
the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics, together with 
Pierre Agostini, for “experimental methods that 
generate attosecond pulses 
of light for the study of 
electron dynamics in 
matter”.  

©Peter S

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Diagnostic 
Technology for 
Lyme Disease 

€3.5 million in Horizon Europe funds was 
invested in a Hungarian project to develop a more 
reliable and early diagnosis of lyme disease. 
Lyme borreliosis is the most common zoonotic 
disease in Europe. If not diagnosed and treated 
early causes severe and potentially persisting 
symptoms representing a heavy burden on the 
European and Hungarian healthcare system.

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453 million in Cohesion Policy 

funding was invested 

to renovate the M3 or 
‘blue’ metro line in 
Budapest, the biggest EU 
investment in Hungary 
and in the whole EU. Over 
500,000 passengers will 
commute daily in a more 

comfortable and pleasant 

environment. 

Budapest-Rákos–Hatvan railway

The Hungarian railway network is undergoing 
a modernisation. The railway sectionof more 
than 50km between Budapest- Rákos–Hatvan is 
being upgraded with the support of funds from 
the Connecting Europe Facility. This upgrade 
is part of a wider project that aims to develop 
the Budapest-Zahony railway line, along the 
TEN-T Mediterranean corridor. It will also ensure 
increased capacity, improved service, safety 
and security and contribute to the modal shift of 
passengers and freights from road to rail.

Geothermal heating system 

€23 million in Cohesion Policy 
funds was invested in 
Szeged to build the largest 
geothermal heating 
system in the EU. The EU 
invested to provide clean, 
renewable, and affordable 
energy while contributing to 
ensure energy independence 
to over 28,000 households and 
over 400 public buildings in the area.  

© European Union, 2023Reuse of this document is allowed, provided appropriate credit is given and any changes are indicated (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license). For any use or reproduction of elements that are not owned by the EU, permission may need to be sought directly from the respective right holders. All images © European Union, unless otherwise stated.Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2023 PDF ISBN 978-92-68-10272-5 doi: 10.2775/684209 NA-06-23-025-EN-N