As Prime Minister designate, Viktor Orbán firmly stated that he considers Slovak hysteria part of a political campaign.

[9] The European Commission criticized Orbán's second cabinet for its lack of compliance with economic deficit goals in 2010 and 2011, the nationalization of the country's compulsory private pension scheme and the cutting of the salary of state employees to a maximum of 2 million Hungarian forints (6.700 Euro) per month, including the Hungarian National Bank's director, claiming the government potentially undermined the independence of that institution.

The cabinet intended ceasing to fund certain disciplines, and also changed the conditions of the state subsidies of the higher education: "according to the new rules, a student accepting Hungarian state-funded support to pay for university study must sign an agreement to work in Hungary for a certain period of time within 20 years after graduation".

"[11] The cabinet cut back the budget of the universities as well, and in order to supervise their expenditures, the government vindicated the right to appoint bursars.

The government also modified the previously introduced laws - since then it is possible to receive state scholarship in every subject, the number of bourses was increased and instead of contracts, the students have to sign a declaration stating that within 10 or 12 years after graduation, students that studied in state-funded places will be expected to work at Hungarian companies for the same length of time they had spent in state-financed higher education.

In his opinion the new constitutional mega-amendment again puts an end to the independence of the judiciary, brings universities under still more governmental control, opens the door to political prosecutions, criminalizes homelessness, makes the recognition of religious groups dependent on their cooperation with the government and weakens human rights guarantees across the board.

On 6 March 2013, Europe's main human rights watchdog, Council of Europe President Thorbjorn Jagland (social democrat), said that the amendments set to be voted on next week by Hungarian lawmakers may be incompatible with European legal principles and asked the government to postpone the approval of a series of constitutional amendments, so legal experts can review the changes.

"[19] Likewise on the same day, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso expressed concerns about the government over the amendment vote in Hungary's parliament the following week to change the constitution, arguing that it contravenes EU rules in areas such as the judiciary.

[28] On 7 March, Deputy Prime Minister Tibor Navracsics sent a letter to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland, to give some additional written explanations to the Proposal on the Fourth Amendment to Fundamental Law of Hungary.

[30] 14 March, during a press conference in Brussels, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Budapest was ready to explain all the constitutional changes made by the Parliament.

"[35] In July 2013 US Congressman, Chris Smith, co-chairman of the US Helsinki Committee declared that "I am dealing with human rights issues in the Congress for 33 years now and these changes really had a great effect on me," criticisms are unfair, use double standards, misinterpretations, or incorrect information" and that "checks and balances are alive and well in Hungary.

According to the new regulations all religious communities are entitled to operate freely, but those who seek further cooperation with the state (e.g., taking part in education, health care, social programs and so on) has to be voted on by the national assembly to receive an official status.

"[38] In October, 2013 Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe declared that the laws on the media and the judiciary that had been so heavily criticised were amended, and the European institutions were satisfied with that.

He welcomed the cooperation of foreign secretary Martonyi with the Venice Commission, and he finally concluded that "A number of criticisms can still be made, of course, but the Hungarians have gone a long way in correcting much of the legislation that the international community has so heavily criticised.