According to Serbian Economist, the Hungarian government has designated the “Hungary–Serbia” oil pipeline and related infrastructure as a priority investment project, which is expected to speed up administrative procedures and construction work. Budapest views the project as part of a broader strategy to better coordinate the energy and fuel markets of Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia. The Hungarian side believes this will enhance the resilience of regional energy supplies and reduce dependence on external risks.
Hungarian media reports state that the government’s goal is to bring the system into full operation in 2027 or 2028. The new route is intended to create an additional foundation for oil supplies to the region amid the continued vulnerability of existing supply lines.
The issue is particularly sensitive for the region following supply problems with the Druzhba pipeline, a section of which on Ukrainian territory was damaged in January. Against this backdrop, Budapest has in recent weeks linked energy security issues to broader regional policy.
For Serbia, accelerating the project is important both in terms of diversifying supply routes and in the context of ongoing uncertainty surrounding NIS and oil imports. The new pipeline could become one of the country’s key energy infrastructure projects.
https://t.me/relocationrs/2509
According to Serbian Economist, Romania has prepared a strategic study on the creation of a 781.9-km railway corridor from Constanța to the Hungarian border, which will combine modernized sections with speeds of 160–200 km/h and new double-track sections designed for speeds of up to 250 km/h. This is reported by Romanian business publications.
According to the study, the most suitable route is the Constanta–Bucharest–Brasov–Sighisoara–Târgu Mureș–Cluj-Napoca–Zaleu–Oradea–Hungarian border corridor. The project is estimated at €14.93 billion, with an average investment cost of approximately €19 million per kilometer.
The first phase involves the construction of a new double-track line between Bucharest and Cimpina with a design speed of 250 km/h, while the Cimpina–Brasov section is proposed to be upgraded to 200 km/h. The second phase covers the new Brasov–Cluj-Napoca line via Targu Mures, the third—Cluj-Napoca–Oradea via Zalau, and both of these new lines are also designed for 250 km/h. The fourth phase includes upgrading the Bucharest–Fetești section to 200 km/h and constructing a new double-track section between Fetești and Constanța for speeds of 250 km/h.
The document examines the technical, investment, operational, and institutional parameters of the project and recommends phased financing after 2027 through European funds, the state budget, and, potentially, public-private partnership mechanisms.
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According to Serbian Economist, Hungary and Serbia have agreed to launch passenger service on the Belgrade-Budapest high-speed railway line no later than March 27, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Belgrade.
Responding to questions about border procedures, including the introduction of the EES system, Szijjártó said that checks are planned to be kept to a minimum and organized so that they do not significantly affect the speed of transport. According to him, on the Hungarian side, inspectors, police, and customs officers will board the train before the border station, and checks will be carried out jointly with colleagues from the other side while the train is in motion.
The statement was made after the ceremonial signing of four documents during the 15th session of the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation between Serbia and Hungary in the Serbian Chamber. In particular, the parties formalized a package of agreements on expanding cooperation in the nuclear sphere, interaction between chambers of commerce and industry under the Széchenyi program in Serbia, a memorandum on expert support for Serbia’s EU accession negotiations, and the minutes of the joint commission meeting.
Earlier, Serbian authorities reported that joint passport and customs control for passenger trains is planned to be carried out on Hungarian territory at the Kelebia station, and the time required for the procedures is estimated at about 30 minutes; the issue of specific EES requirements falls within the competence of the Hungarian border police.
The Belgrade-Budapest high-speed line is being modernized for speeds of up to 200 km/h and a reduction in travel time to less than three hours; in Serbia, the Belgrade-Novi Sad (2022) and Novi Sad-Subotica (October 2025) sections have already been put into operation. On February 27, it was also reported that freight traffic had started on the line.
Hungary has decided to block the allocation of a EUR90 billion EU loan to Ukraine until oil transit to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline is resumed, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said.
On Friday evening, he again accused Ukraine on social media of allegedly blackmailing Hungary by stopping oil transit in coordination with Brussels and the Hungarian opposition in order to create supply disruptions in Hungary and raise fuel prices ahead of the elections.
According to Szijjártó, Ukraine is violating the Association Agreement with the EU.
As reported with reference to Ukrtransnafta, as a result of a targeted Russian attack on January 27, significant damage was caused to the technological and auxiliary equipment of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
“Currently, work is underway at various stages to detect defects, stabilize the technical condition of the system, and eliminate the consequences of the hostile attack. Emergency repair work is being carried out with the involvement of specialized technical units and specialized equipment,” the company said in an official comment to Interfax-Ukraine on February 19.
Hungary and Slovakia stopped supplying diesel fuel to Ukraine on February 18 until the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline is restored.
The European Commission, in turn, convened a meeting of the oil coordination group on February 25 in connection with the suspension of supplies to Hungary and Slovakia due to Russia’s damage to the Druzhba oil pipeline.
Housing prices in Hungary rose by 17.5% year-on-year in January 2026, according to data from the ingatlan.com classifieds portal. In Budapest, the increase was even higher – 20.4% y/y, while prices across the country rose 1.7% m/m and in the capital – 2.9% m/m.
In Budapest, one of the most “massive” districts in terms of supply, District XIII, showed an average price of around HUF 1.62 million per square meter in January, which is equivalent to approximately EUR 4,300 at the ECB exchange rate (EUR 1 = HUF 379.88 as of February 12, 2026). In the premium District V, the median price exceeded HUF 2.04 million per square meter (approximately EUR 5,400).
Price growth was also observed outside the capital. In Debrecen, the country’s second-largest city, the level reached about HUF 1.07 million per square meter (approximately EUR 2,800), while the lowest values among administrative centers were recorded in Szalgótarján, at around HUF 339,000 per square meter (about EUR 0,900).
Hungary’s data fits into the overall European picture of accelerating prices, but with a noticeable “overheating” relative to its neighbors. According to Eurostat calculations, in the third quarter of 2025, Hungary showed the highest growth in housing prices in the EU – +21.1% y/y (followed by Portugal and Bulgaria).
Among the factors supporting demand, market participants and economic observers highlight government incentives for buyers. In particular, the Hungarian government announced a program to support first-time home buyers with interest rate subsidies (preferential loans), which, according to the authorities, could become a significant budget item in the coming years.
An additional “booster” for the dynamics in euro terms was the currency component: in 2025, the Hungarian forint strengthened significantly against the euro (in particular, according to Hungarian media estimates, by approximately 6.2% in the first ten months of the year), which makes price growth more noticeable for settlements in euros.
Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) has sent its first container train along the Lviv–Fenishlitke (Hungary) route, according to the company’s press service.
According to the report, the project was implemented by a subsidiary of UZ Cargo Poland, a branch of the Lisky Transport Service Center, and a private Hungarian logistics terminal.
Sun Smart Logistics technologies and equipment and modernized platforms of the Lisky Transport Service Center were used for loading on 1520 mm gauge tracks. At the terminal in Fenishlitke, semi-trailers will be reloaded using R2L technology onto T3000 platforms for further travel on 1435 mm gauge tracks. Thanks to the modernized platforms and special technologies, the semi-trailers were loaded without the use of tractors and cranes.
“This trip confirms the efficiency and versatility of containerized transportation of semi-trailers of any type between Ukraine and European Union countries using 1520 and 1435 mm gauges,” Ukrzaliznytsia concluded.
