EU Commission proposes unlocking €4.2 billion for Hungary

BRUSSELS, Sept 23 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Wednesday it had proposed unlocking €4.2 billion in cohesion funds for Hungary, citing the steps Hungary's new government has taken to strengthen the rule of law in the country.

• The money is part of a total sum of €16.4 billion of frozen recovery and cohesion funds the EU said in May it would unblock as Hungary's new government worked on implementing reforms.

• The Commission said it would also reopen the Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe programmes to Hungarian students and researchers.

• "Hungary has taken important steps to strengthen the rule of law and protect the Union's financial interests," Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.

• The proposal now needs to be formally adopted by all member states in the EU Council.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Alex Richardson)