Hungarian Conservative

Mayoral candidate of Fidesz–⁠KDNP Alexandra Szentkirályi unveiled her seven-point plan for the city at a campaign event on 17 April. Outlined in her plan are measures to tackle corruption, streamline bureaucracy, improve transportation, and enhance cleanliness and orderliness in the city.

As one of the keynote speakers, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán addressed the issues of migration, freedom of expression, and the war in Ukraine on the second day of the National Conservatism Conference.

Since all the necessary permits have been obtained, Uber can indeed re-enter the Hungarian market in the summer. The American ride-hailing company withdrew from Hungary in 2016, but now it is set to resume operations in partnership with Főtaxi.

Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and Fabrice Leggeri, former head of the EU border agency Frontex and current lead candidate for the right-wing National Rally (RN) party participated in a public discussion held in the European Parliament on Tuesday. They shared their concerns regarding migration and the newly adopted Migration Pact, agriculture, and green policies.

Even liberals did not take kindly to the decision by Brussels district mayor Emir Kir to use police force to try and shut down a right-wing conference featuring Viktor Orbán among the speakers. Kir faced severe criticism from Belgium’s left-wing prime minister, and the Conseil d’État, Belgium’s highest court, subsequently annulled his order.

The John von Neumann Computer Society’s HCC Retro Microcomputer Division’s competition yielded a series of intriguing submissions, including games and demos. The aim was to resurrect the legendary Hungarian Homelab-3 microcomputer, entirely developed in Hungary.

General Amir Avivi, the founder of the Israel Defence and Security Forum, also highlighted in his briefing following the IRI attack that the fact that Israel and its allies intercepted 99 per cent of the rockets ‘showed that Israel could cope with a direct attack from Iran, and can coordinate efficiently with its allies to defend itself.’

The financial software developer Taxually, the manufacturing company Continest, and the logistics and transportation company United Shipping Hungaria have even made the top 100 on the Financial Times’ list. Minister of National Economy Márton Nagy hosted the top executives of the thirteen Hungarian companies included on the list for a congratulatory meeting.

In this year’s first call for applications, the European Union is giving out 35,500 free passes, with an initial quota of 779 passes for young Hungarians aged 18.

According to Csaba Lantos, over 28,000 people have already pre-registered for the Solar Energy Plus programme, with over 15,000 subsidy applications received so far for the installation of solar panels and accompanying green energy storage units.

Iran launched an unprecedented air strike against Israel on Saturday night. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reacted by convening the Defence Council on Sunday. The PM reassured Hungarian families that the government is committed to protecting them should the conflict escalate.

Three Romanian boys have been expelled from the Romanian Gymnastics National Team in response to the horrific incident. They have been named in the press as well: Mihai Iustin, Andrei Titi, and Flavius Borca. The Resicabánya (Rešica) police are also reportedly investigating the matter.

The new aircraft acquired by the HDF will also represent a niche development for NATO forces in the region, as Hungary is the second European country and NATO member state after Portugal to opt for the KC-390.

Fidesz MP and Interior Ministry State Secretary Bence Rétvári has announced that a new amendment proposal had been submitted to the Child Protection Act to parliament, with the goal of making children even safer from child abusers.

Ignacy Czwartos’ exhibition was picked by an open competition during the time of the conservative PiS administration to be displayed at the 2024 Venice Biennale. However, the new Minister of Culture of the new Tusk government overruled the decision and cancelled the project.

Joanna Siekiera, Arvid Hallén, and Tamás Csiki Varga discussed how the European Union can and should be shaping its common defence policy in the wake of the emerging Russian threat, as well as what role NATO plays in European defence policy.

The annual Three Seas Initiative Summit and Business Forum was held with the participation of thirteen countries situated between the Baltic, Black, and Adriatic Seas, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Romania, Greece, and Bulgaria. President of Hungary Tamás Sulyok also participated in several bilateral meetings during the event.

Mol CEO József Molnár emphasized that the technology’s implementation will lead to a reduction in emissions equivalent to removing about 5,500 vehicles from the roads.

Despite focusing his campaign on fighting against corruption and for more transparency in politics, opposition firebrand Péter Magyar decided to jump into the 2024 EP and municipal elections in a very unusual: he founded a civil organization around himself, then that organization partnered with a ‘phantom party’ founded in 2021 to get Magyar’s candidates on the ballot.

Volánbusz is applying for funding for the acquisition of 20 new electric buses and the establishment of related charging infrastructure. The introduction of another twenty e-buses would mean a further reduction of over 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

After lengthy negotiations, an agreement was reached on the opening of a new border crossing point at the Hungarian–⁠Ukrainian border, bringing the total number of crossing points between the two countries to six. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó described this development as a significant step forward that will enhance people’s lives and foster better relations between the two countries.

Following the example of Wizz Air, Ryanair is relaunching its flights from Budapest to Tel Aviv. Meanwhile, the Hungarian government has confirmed that it is only a matter of days or weeks before Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport becomes majority-owned by the Hungarian state.

In the second half of 2024 a regional power exchange known as the BlueSky Project is poised for launch, involving Hungary, Slovenia, and Serbia. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó stated in Budapest on Tuesday that the initiative will notably enhance regional security of energy supply.

During a press conference held at the newly opened MOL Bubi station at the Kopaszi Dam, Budapest Mayor Karácsony Gergely shared that the Bubi 3.0 public bike-sharing system, launching in January 2026, will include electrically assisted bikes. Furthermore, the current fleet will at least be doubled, and the number of stations and service areas will increase.

According to the statement, the number of cars equipped with light green official markings increased by nearly by three thousand in March. The growth by 2,920 units significantly surpasses the previous peak of 2,594 units registered in February this year.

The 15-year-old boy was allegedly tied to a radiator naked while the other gymnasts were chanting ‘ungure, ungure,’ meaning ‘Hungarian, Hungarian’ in English. It is unclear if legal action will be taken against the perpetrators.

Hungarian pharmaceutical corporation Richter Gedeon Nyrt is strengthening its scientific foundation to achieve further international success in its most profitable and fastest-growing focus area, neuropsychiatry.

Amid a record high voter turnout, former House Speaker Peter Pellegrini, the sovereigntist candidate, won the Slovak presidential election with more than 1.4 million votes, including those of most ethnic Hungarian voters.

Concerned parents wrote an open letter to the local government, demanding that the head of the kindergarten be suspended until the conclusion of the police investigation, in fear that the opposition-led leadership might try to squash the scandal ahead of the municipal elections in June.

215 young scholars studying in Hungary as part of a bilateral agreement between Ghana and Hungary have gone without their stipends for six months now after the Ghanaian government has apparently failed to disburse the sums due to the 215 students.