After 16 years of rule under Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s political landscape has undergone a rapid transformation. In April 2026, the opposition Tisza party, led by Prime Minister Peter Magyar secured a decisive victory, ending the long-standing government that had pursued a series of measures targeting LGBTQ + citizens. Within weeks, Magyar announced a series of reforms aimed at aligning domestic legislation with broader European standards, the most prominent being the repeal of a 2020 adoption restriction that effectively barred same-sex couples from adopting children.
The upcoming change arrives against a backdrop of heightened scrutiny from the European Union. In April of the same year, the Court of Justice of the EU found that Hungary’s earlier “child-protection” law violated EU law and contributed to the marginalisation of LGBTQ + people. That ruling, together with a 220-page government-issued child-protection report, set the stage for a policy reversal that promises to hand adoption decisions over to qualified professionals rather than politicians.
Legal framework introduced in 2020 and its impact
The 2020 legislation, passed under Orbán’s cabinet, redefined the parameters of family law by restricting adoption to married couples. Because same-sex marriage remains illegal in Hungary, the rule eliminated the only pathway for gay and lesbian partners to become parents: one partner could apply as a single applicant, provided they secured a special ministerial permit. Single applicants of any orientation also required approval from the minister responsible for family affairs, creating a bureaucratic hurdle that effectively excluded most LGBTQ + families from the adoption system.
Human-rights organisations condemned the law as discriminatory, noting that it singled out couples based on sexual orientation while leaving heterosexual married couples untouched. The restriction not only prevented hopeful parents from forming families but also contributed to a growing number of children remaining in state care, according to the same child-protection analysis that later informed the government’s reform agenda.
New government’s proposal to hand adoption to experts
On 12 September 2026, Prime Minister Peter Magyar addressed the nation, stating that “adoption decisions should be made by professionals, not by politicians.” He emphasized that child-welfare specialists—psychologists, social workers, and legal experts—are better equipped to assess a child’s best interests than a ministerial office. The proposed amendment would dismantle the ministerial permit requirement, allowing both single applicants and same-sex couples to be evaluated on the basis of their personal circumstances rather than their marital status.
The overhaul draws directly from the findings of the newly released 220-page report, which warned that the existing system was “on the verge of collapse” due to an artificial scarcity of eligible adoptive families. By restoring a professional-based assessment model, the government aims to increase the pool of available homes for children while complying with EU standards on non-discrimination.
Wider reversal of Orbán-era LGBTQ + policies
Magyar’s adoption reform is part of a broader agenda to roll back policies introduced during Orbán’s tenure. Just two days after the adoption announcement, the cabinet declared its intention to repeal the law that barred LGBTQ + content from being shown to audiences under 18, a measure previously upheld by the Fidesz government and later deemed incompatible with EU law. While the new administration has not yet signaled plans to legalise same-sex marriage the willingness to dismantle the adoption barrier signals a significant shift toward more inclusive family legislation.
International observers have welcomed the move as a “clear break” from the previous regime’s symbolic use of family law as a political weapon. By anchoring the reform in expert opinion and child-protection data, the Tisza government seeks to present the change as a pragmatic solution rather than a purely ideological concession.
