After twenty years, the EU flag will return to the Hungarian parliament. Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza party that won 141 of 199 parliamentary seats in the April 12 elections, announced that the flag would be displayed at the constitutive session in Budapest - alongside the Hungarian and Székely flags. Orbán with Fidesz won only 52 seats.

A 2004 law requires state institutions that display national flags to also display the EU flag. The Hungarian parliament was exempted from this requirement. When Hungary held the EU Council presidency in 2024, Orbán's government did not display the European flag, claiming it was not obligatory. The Tisza party thinks otherwise.

The return of the flag is not merely a symbolic gesture. It is an indicator of fundamental change in the country's political orientation - after years in which Orbán systematically damaged relations with Brussels, blocked aid to Ukraine and built a distinct illiberal model. With the new parliamentary majority, that era officially ends.

For the Balkans, this matters: Hungary was a consistent obstacle to EU enlargement, and its veto on various decisions slowed processes important to the region too. Whether the new government will be a more constructive partner - that will become clear in the coming months.