The Hungarian economy grew by 1.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2024, remaining above the EU average. The countries of the eurozone are expected to continue weakening, especially the German economy, which is not a good sign for Hungary. Considering the data, there is a more urgent need than ever to boost the EU’s competitiveness, which is a key priority of the Hungarian EU Presidency.

President of the European People’s Party Manfred Weber is urging EU Member States to respond to the Hungarian worker visa changes with the strictest possible measures. Starting 8 July, Belarusian and Russian workers, along with nationals of six other countries, will be able to enter and work in Hungary under relaxed conditions. This move has infuriated the famously anti-Hungarian Weber, who claims it threatens the entire Schengen area. The European Commission has the power to suspend a state’s Schengen membership, although this has never happened before.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb stated in a recent interview that a point has been reached where starting negotiations regarding the war in Ukraine can no longer be postponed. Stubb’s statement echoes the proposals of Viktor Orbán, which the Hungarian Prime Minister submitted to European Council President Charles Michel following his peace mission in early July.

The new anti-woke initiative will consist of two main pillars: an emergency response information chain alerting the members of the nefarious activity of progressive, woke actors anywhere in the world; and one focused on the organization of conferences and workshops for right-wing activists.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has nominated Olivér Várhelyi, the current Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, as the next Commissioner for Hungary in the new European Commission. Várhelyi’s task will not be easy, as he has experienced numerous conflicts with the European Parliament over the past five years. Additionally, pro-war factions will likely do everything in their power to derail the Hungarian candidate’s nomination process.

The munitions manufacturing facility at the Várpalota Defence Industrial Complex, operated in partnership with German Rheinmetall, will contribute to reducing Hungarian dependence on supply chains, Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky stated at the inauguration ceremony on Monday.

After Kyiv failed to restore the uninterrupted transit of Russian Lukoil’s oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia via Ukraine, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced that Bratislava might stop diesel supplies to Ukraine. Slovak deliveries account for a tenth of Ukraine’s diesel consumption.

Hungary declared its support for Georgia’s membership efforts comes shortly after the EU’s decision to halt the accession process following the adoption of the foreign agent law by the Tbilisi parliament.

In a short Facebook video, Csaba Dömötör highlighted that the reacquired Budapest Airport will generate revenue for the Hungarian government, and it is the strategically important ‘gate to our country for millions of people’ as well.

The threat of escalation in the Middle East is growing following Saturday’s deadly strike by Hezbollah on an Israeli-controlled settlement in the Golan Heights. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has even gone so far as to threaten Israel with an invasion.

In response to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s speech at the Tusványos festival, Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski of Poland has called on the Hungarian leadership to leave the EU and NATO if they believe these organizations treat them so badly. Meanwhile, US Ambassador David Pressman has also come out to criticize the same speech by PM Orbán.

Under the new, more favourable conditions, the programme’s aim remains to increase the productivity and added value of domestic micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through support for technological and organizational renewal.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán delivered his annual speech at Tusványos, where he discussed the war in Ukraine, the peace mission, the changing world order, and the upcoming US presidential elections. He stated that Donald Trump is the only chance for the United States to maintain its supremacy.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán held talks with his Romanian counterpart Marcel Ciolacu on Friday, a day before Orbán’s speech at Tusványos. The discussions focused on bilateral relations between the two countries and Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area.

Minister of Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás stated on Friday that Hungary does not want to blackmail Ukraine over the halted transit of Russian Lukoil oil shipments via Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia. However, Gulyás pointed out that if no solution is found in the near future, ‘other steps should be considered’.

Balázs Orbán emphasized at a party political roundtable discussion on Thursday at the 33rd Bálványos Summer Open University and Student Camp that peace advocates will eventually become the majority in Europe, stating that ‘time is on their side’.

The overwhelming majority of Hungarians support transparency in the foreign funding of media outlets. Recently, there has been an increase in foreign attempts to interfere in Hungarian domestic politics, with the media being a primary target. In response, the government established the Office for the Protection of Sovereignty. This move, however, could prompt Brussels to penalize the country with another rule of law mechanism.

After Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated on Wednesday that Ukraine was ready to negotiate with Russia if Moscow ‘acts in good faith’, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded on Thursday that Russia was willing to negotiate with Ukraine even if Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains president. Viktor Orbán’s peace mission has undoubtedly contributed to these positive developments towards peace, and the Hungarian Prime Minister could play a crucial role in mediating further talks.

Analysts found that 23.5 per cent of Hungarians now have some money left in their pockets at the end of the month, compared to 19.7 per cent a year earlier. One in three Hungarians managed to save some amount monthly, although the overall proportion has decreased by 0.2 per cent compared to the previous year.

In an official statement of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Hungarian government expressed its disagreement with the recent findings of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, according to which Israel’s presence in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem is ‘unlawful’, while Israel’s ‘policies and practices’ in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem, including ‘the maintenance and expansion of settlements’, amount to the ‘annexation of large parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.’

During the mission, the Hungarian research astronaut will spend 14 days aboard the International Space Station, conducting scientific experiments that will not only benefit the domestic space sector but also position Hungary competitively on the international stage in one of the 21st century’s most rapidly developing industries.

Bulgaria has offered to help maintain Hungary’s energy security if Ukraine does not resume Russian Lukoil oil shipments to Hungary in the near future. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó called Sofia’s offer a sincere gesture of friendship.

During the handover ceremony, Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky highlighted that the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the necessity for every country to have a well-functioning defence industry capable of supplying the nation at all times and in all situations.

As Hungary’s premier higher education institution covering the full spectrum of teacher training, it is particularly important for ELTE that 20 per cent of those admitted will start their studies as teacher trainees. Numerically, this means that ELTE admitted the highest number of applicants (2,500) to teacher training in the last 15 years.

Balázs Orbán, the political director for the Hungarian Prime Minister, participated in a panel discussion at this year’s Bálványos Summer Free University and Student Camp. He spoke about the current state of the European right, Viktor Orbán’s peace mission, and Hungarian foreign policy strategy. He mentioned that the Patriots for Europe political group, co-founded by Viktor Orbán, will be expanded in the near future, but he did not specify who the new members might be.

Hungary boasts an impressive Olympic history, having won 181 gold medals and a total of 511, ranking 8th in the all-time medal standings, which is a significant achievement for a nation of just 9–10 million people. According to the latest forecast from Nielsen Gracenote in June, Hungary is expected to perform exceptionally well at the Paris Olympics: the international analysis team predicts 7 gold, 6 silver, and 10 bronze medals, placing Hungary 11th in the medal table.

The meeting explored the application of artificial intelligence in the legal field. They reviewed best practices on how artificial intelligence can be employed in judicial practices and legal services to enhance the efficiency of law enforcement, citing the anonymization of documents as an example.

‘Eventually, he fired the gun, which made a loud bang, and meanwhile, the special unit of the French gendarmerie arrived, with three burly men carrying submachine guns, and disarmed the man,’ the Hungarian expert detailed the traumatic events.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that Ukraine is ready to negotiate with Russia if Moscow acts in good faith, following his meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. Kuleba’s visit to China sheds new light on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s peace mission: Orbán could play an important role in organizing the next peace conference, where Kyiv would welcome Russia’s participation.

Mainstream political groups in the European Parliament have once again defied the will of the electorate, preventing Patriots for Europe (PfE), the EP’s third largest group, from gaining top jobs in parliamentary committees. Kinga Gál, PfE’s First Vice-Chairman, stated that they will challenge the decision at the Conference of Presidents and did not rule out taking the case to the EU’s top court.