SDSM Wants a Domestic Probe Into the €1bn Hungary Loan After Budapest Opens Criminal Investigation

Hungarian police opened a formal criminal investigation on September 1 into suspected abuse of office and mismanagement at state-owned Eximbank, covering four financing deals flagged by an internal ministry audit — including the €1 billion general-purpose loan extended to North Macedonia.

The loan was approved in two tranches negotiated in 2024, at a 3.25% annual interest rate with a 15-year repayment term and a three-year grace period, fully guaranteed by the Macedonian government. Hungarian investigators seized thousands of pages of ministry documents on August 31 as part of the probe.

SDSM Renews a 2024 Complaint

SDSM is calling for a domestic parliamentary probe into the loan's terms, echoing criticism the party raised when the deal was first approved — MP Sanja Lukarevska argued at the time that authorities were concealing the origin of the funds. The government has not yet responded to the renewed call; Eximbank has not publicly commented on the Hungarian investigation.

MKNews Hub · Macedonia · September 11, 2026