Despite the sanctions and the war driving up energy prices, the Hungarian measures to combat inflation and price increases are undeniably working. While EU countries scramble to look for new avenues to import electricity and gas, the Hungarian plans and contracts have managed to keep energy prices at affordable levels for citizens.

Fidesz-KDNP MEPs spoke out firmly against the mandatory distribution of migrants in the EU following the debate on the new EU asylum and migration package in the European Parliament. ID and ECR MEPs expressed the same sentiment to the Hungarian press.

According to data provided by the Slovak Ministry of the Interior, the number of illegal migrants arriving in Slovakia through the Western Balkans route began to significantly increase in August of last year. From the beginning of this year up until now, nearly 40,000 illegal immigrants have entered the country, which is 11 times more than during the same period last year.

Hungary is actively working to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Chad, recognizing the potential repercussions for all of Europe. State Secretary responsible for aiding persecuted Christians Tristan Azbej highlighted the Central African country’s crucial role as a stable state in a volatile region which faces a growing influx of refugees.

Hungary’s commitment to national security remains unwavering in the face of 21st-century challenges, Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky stated at the inauguration of the new Cyberspace Operations Centre of the Military National Security Service.

Hungary supports all initiatives for maintaining dialogue aimed at de-escalating the conflict and finding a peaceful resolution, Minister Bóka told the French weekly Le Point in an interview, referring to the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The assistance provided by the Hungary Helps Programme will be directed towards Armenian nationals who have had to flee the Karabakh due to the escalation of the conflict that has been ongoing for three decades. The Interchurch Aid and the Hungarian Lutheran Church have also initiated a solidarity fundraising campaign.

In his remarks at the inauguration of a new granulation plant established by Swiss Omya in Eger, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó highlighted that this year a record €6.5 billion worth of foreign investments have materialized in Hungary, demonstrating that international trust in the Hungarian economy remains unbroken.

In addition to the Hungarian leadership, from 2024, the Hungarian Defence Forces will contribute with additional forces to Operation Althea including helicopter airlift and bomb disposal capabilities.

After the announcement yesterday of Katalin Karikó being awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2023, a wave of congratulations poured in from Hungarian politicians. She also shared some thoughts about her scientific journey and life philosophy in a brief, first telephone interview.

Viktor Orbán has firmly stated that Hungary will not approve any EU budget increase until its access to the withheld funds is reinstated. The EC may now be willing to release the frozen funding to gain Budapest’s support for an increase in the EU budget to secure more financial aid to Ukraine.

OTP Bank made several commitments regarding its future plans in the Russian market in an agreement concluded with the Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention, mediated by the European External Action Service. The Ukrainian authorities have removed the bank from the list of international sponsors of the war, and stated that now they expect OTP Bank ‘to promptly adhere to the agreement.’

In response to a query by Breitbart, the US State Department has confirmed that Gonzalo Lira is still detained in a Ukrainian prison. Lira is a Chilean–American citizen journalist who was arrested in May for allegedly spreading Russian propaganda in Ukraine, and tried to flee to Hungary in August while out on bond.

The director of the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) András Balatoni explained that the strict monetary policy, decreasing global commodity prices compared to last year, restrained consumption, and market-boosting measures by the government are increasingly exerting a disinflationary effect.

‘The clashes are ongoing, there is no harmony, they were sent here to carry out the school’s death sentence’, Pál Popovics, an informatics teacher at the school said.

Hungary and Slovakia recently signed a cooperation agreement on nuclear energy with the goal of coordinating research between the two countries and making joint efforts to apply the latest technologies.

The data demonstrates an increase in both marriages and the proportion of those with children among people under 30, while at the same time shows an overall aging trend in Hungarian society.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó praised the Trump era initiatives at the Southern border of the United States, likening it to the fence between Hungary and Serbia; he also stated that without physical infrastructure protecting the border a country is ‘defenceless’.

Viktor Orbán discussed the recently announced pension raise on public radio today. As for the broader topic of inflation, he expressed his conviction that his government will curb it by the end of the year, down to single digits, opining that it could be as low as 4–6 per cent next year.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with Marine Le Pen at the Carmelite Monastery in Budapest on Wednesday, to discuss, among other issues, the need for ‘a united and robust response’ of European right-wing parties to the misguided policies of Brussels ahead of the upcoming European parliamentary elections.

The Third Danube Institute Geopolitical Summit took place last week in the Castle District of Budapest, with such illustrious guests sharing their insights as former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, former Czech President Václav Klaus, Head of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Hungarians Abroad Zsolt Németh, and Lewis Libby, researcher at the Hudson Institute and advisor to former US President George W. Bush.

Csaba Lantos stated that to aid families, the government continues to provide reduced utility prices, making Hungary home to the cheapest household natural gas and electricity prices in Europe.

An innovative continuous authentication solution of Cursor Insight, a Hungarian-founded cybersecurity firm, has been recognized as the Cyber Defence Product of the Year at the British National Cyber Awards 2023.

This positive trajectory in Hungary’s financial landscape had an impact on the nation’s global ranking in terms of wealth. Hungary has advanced two positions, now sitting at 30th place among the world’s nations, demonstrating the country’s progress despite the challenging economic conditions.

Multiple reports have confirmed that there were a number of incidents at the Serbian-Hungarian border in the past weeks with automatic weapons being fired and brandished by human smugglers.

Barna Pál Zsigmond emphasized during his press conference in Kossuth Square held on the occasion of European Languages Day that more than 700 million European citizens in forty-six countries mark the day each year, drawing attention to one of the continent’s defining values: linguistic diversity.

In his remarks Minister Szijjártó highlighted the extensive border shared by Hungary and Slovakia, spanning 654 kilometres. He noted that this border facilitated a record-breaking 17 billion euros in trade last year. Consequently, both governments consider it a strategic imperative to further increase the number of border crossings between the two countries.

According to the Center for Fundamental Rights, while Orbán argued for the defence of Hungary’s political, economic, and cultural sovereignty in his remarks, it became apparent from the words of the former prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcsány that defending the nation’s self-determination is not a political goal for him—which was his downfall after 2006 as well.

During her meeting with Musk, the Hungarian President observed that while addressing climate change is necessary, ‘if there are no future generations, there is no point in caring for the Earth.’ Novák emphasized her commitment to families and addressing demographic issues, recalling that family policy has been a priority in Hungary in the past decade, leading to tangible improvements in demographic figures.

Currently, there is ongoing correspondence between the government and the European Commission regarding the remaining contentious issues related to the frozen EU funds. The dialogue is a follow-up of Minister for Regional Development Tibor Navracsics and Minister for European Union Affairs János Bóka’s talks in Brussels in early September on the release of EU funds and the resolution of the Erasmus dispute.