Post-Orbán Hungary in the Western Balkans

The Western Balkans may not be Magyar's foreign policy priority, but Hungary will remain deeply engaged in the region

22 May 2026

Serbia will submit its final proposal to MOL today regarding the Hungarian oil company’s bid to acquire NIS, Serbia’s only oil refinery operator. The collapse of the Orbán model creates uncertainty, but also strategic openings for both Hungary and the region.

Hungarian businesses invested in the Western Balkans long before Orbán, the region is home to significant Hungarian minorities and is of strategic importance to Hungary. From the practical point of view, the downfall of the Orbán regime carries several implications for the region.

First, Hungary, as a political sponsor of a different model of EU accession, is largely gone. For more than a decade, Orbán’s Hungary functioned as an alternative interpretation of what EU membership could look like – formally European, economically integrated, yet politically illiberal, highly centralised, deeply clientelist and strategically open to Russia and China.

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Goran Buldioski

Goran Buldioski is a Senior Fellow at the Hertie School, affiliated with the Jacques Delors Centre. He supports the Office of the President in designing and developing new initiatives on democracy, contributes to Executive Education programs, and conducts policy research on Eastern EU affairs, focusing on rule of law and EU policy. Over 19 years at the Open Society Foundations (OSF), Goran held key roles such as Program Director for Europe and Central Asia, Executive Director for Europe, Director of the OSF Berlin Office, and Director of the Think Tank Fund. His career has centered on democratic transitions in Eastern Europe, policy research development, and the role of civil society and philanthropy in Europe. Goran holds graduate degrees in public policy from Central European University and in organizational behavior from George Washington University. He is also a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

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The Western Balkans may not be Magyar's foreign policy priority, but Hungary will remain deeply engaged in the region