EU Flag Restored to Hungarian Parliament Building — Speaker Forsthoffer's First Act After 12 Years

In a powerful symbolic gesture, newly elected Speaker Ágnes Forsthoffer ordered the restoration of the EU flag to the facade of the Hungarian Parliament building as her first official act after being elected Speaker on May 9. The EU flag had been removed by Viktor Orbán's government approximately 12 years earlier as part of his campaign against Brussels interference in Hungarian sovereignty. The re-hoisting of the EU flag was broadcast live and received widespread international coverage, with EU leaders and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcoming the move as a signal of Hungary's return to the European family. Crowds gathered outside parliament cheered as the flag was raised alongside the Hungarian tricolor. The gesture also carried significance on Europe Day — the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration of May 9, 1950 — deliberatly chosen by Magyar as the inauguration date.