Gergely Gulyás explained that since the previous cabinet took office in 2018, numerous changes have occurred in world politics and the economy, and the government elected in 2022 had to face completely different challenges than it did four years earlier.
Brussels is requesting an additional €98 billion in contributions from member states. Hungary does not approve of this contribution. As Gulyás pointed out, this request raises the question: how have Ukraine and the EU spent their funds so far? ‘Where is the money?,’ he asked. He also posed the same question to Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, who is embroiled in a campaign finance scandal while he is also claiming that his city is nearing bankruptcy.
This report is a piece of war blackmail, and the reason is that time is running out for the EU. Next year, there will be European parliamentary elections, a new Commission will be formed, and they want to put pressure on Hungary before that, Attila Kovács of the Center for Fundamental Rights said in a press conference on Wednesday.
The controversial document highlights the ongoing concerns of the EU Commission regarding the rule of law in Hungary. While the country has introduced legislative reforms and anti-corruption measures, there are persistent challenges in areas such as judicial independence, media pluralism, legal certainty, and civil society rights.
The new Task Force set up by the Finance Ministry has been portrayed as a sign of austerity measures to come by the opposition media, however, the Ministry has debunked these speculations in a press release. In their statement, the Ministry assures the people of Hungary that family support schemes and the utility price cap will remain in place.
Mária Ádám-Haszonics, Zoltán Lomnici, András Patyi, and Réka Varga have all been confirmed to the Constitutional Court by a two-thirds majority vote in the parliament, replacing the four term-limited former justices on the 15-member panel. The Court has the power to strike down legislation if they find it incompatible with the Fundamental Law of Hungary.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs stated at a press conference on Tuesday that Hungary will keep its promise of not holding up Sweden’s joining of NATO, thus it is ready to back it once Turkey is. However, a recent incident of Quran burning in Stockholm may set the process back for some time again.
In a recent interview with business news site Világgazdaság, Hungarian Tourism Agency CEO Péter Horváth highlighted that the number of guest nights booked by foreign visitors to Hungary is on the rise, while domestic tourism has shrunk, which is in line with international trends in the industry. On the whole, however, the total number of nights booked has increased by four per cent in the first five months compared to last year.
Gergely Karácsony’s 99 Movement received over 650 million HUF in funding, mostly after they went inactive with the Budapest Mayor dropping out of the primary race for prime minister. The organisation claims that the bulk of its revenue came from ‘microdonations’ collected in cash in drop-boxes at live events. However, even opposition media admit that this is more than unrealistic given the large sum, and the fact that much of it came in foreign currencies.
‘I am not disappointed by the attitude of Poland and Hungary, I am never disappointed by those who defend their national interests,’ the Italian premier declared following the meeting of the European Council, adding that ‘there is an excellent relationship with Poland and Hungary’.
At a joint press conference held with his Slovak counterpart in Budapest, Minister Szijjártó said both Slovakia and Hungary insist that the composition of the energy mix of member states should remain a national competence.
Hungary believes that the problems should be solved not at Europe’s borders but at their places of origin, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said. He emphasised that under the changed circumstances, the development of the Hungarian armed forces is progressing dynamically, confidently, and systematically.
22-year-old Hungarian National Team captain Dominik Szoboszlai has just been signed by the six-time Champions League title winner Premier League team Liverpool FC. The English club bought him from the German Bundesliga team RB Leipzig for €70 million, by far the highest transfer fee ever paid for a Hungarian football player.
Gergely Gulyás announced on Monday, 3 July that János Bóka will serve as Minister responsible for European Union affairs in the government from 1 August.
The mediation of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who supported the pact for the temporary relief of Italian refugee camps, and negotiations with the major member states failed to convince Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who eventually prevented the centre-right governments from presenting the migrant quota proposal as a huge step forward in the European election campaign.
Viktor Orbán highlighted that the European Commission requested a pay raise for the Commissioners, while it wants to eliminate utility price reductions in Hungary. He believes this is so absurd that it leaves most EU leaders dumbfounded. The PM also voiced his suspicion that the funds due to Hungary may have ended up in Ukraine.
Sándor Czomba stated that since 2010, the number of employed people has increased from 3.7 million to 4.7 million, thus achieving one of the government’s commitments to create one million new jobs in ten years.
The authority was established to protect the money of European Union taxpayers, making sure that it is spent appropriately and in a targeted fashion. However, their goal is more ambitious, aiming to initiate a kind of cultural change in the economy, where the parties involved can and want to say no to corruption challenges.
The collaboration between the Hungarian University and JASCO, focusing on pharmaceutical development, is in a promising area. The goal is for Hungary to become one of Europe’s top ten and the world’s top twenty-five innovators by 2030.
The total amount of EU funds approved by the Commission is €100 million, which is to be distributed among the five member states most affected by the glut of tariff-free Ukrainian grain dumps: Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria. These five nations banded together and imposed bans on food product imports from Ukraine back in April.
During the inauguration of a new solar power plant established by the MVM Group, Alexandra Szentkirályi stated that due to the war in Ukraine and the imposed sanctions, a very challenging energy situation has emerged. Therefore, the government’s most important task is to strengthen Hungary’s energy independence.
Márton Nagy described Hungary’s achievements in technology and knowledge transfer as remarkable. According to the Global Innovation Index, Hungary ranks 7th in terms of the utilisation of knowledge in the local economy.
The PM drew attention to the fact that Hungary spends over two billion euros to protect the Schengen Zone from illegal immigrants. ‘We haven’t received a single cent from Brussels. Why should we pay more? We have to spend all our money on protecting the borders, protecting Europe and Germany,’ Orbán stated.
After the completion of the investment, the Chinese–Hungarian joint venture, Jiangsu Magnus Aircraft Manufacturing, is expected to create a total of 300 jobs, with Hungarian employees playing a leading role.
She is resigning to take an active part in the campaign in the 2024 European Parliamentary election. She is also rumoured to be leading the Fidesz EP list, although that is yet to be confirmed. The minister believes that she has fulfilled all the tasks she took on when she was appointed.
PM Orbán wrote that the release of the three Kosovo police officers charged with illegal weapon possession in Serbia is a testament to the ‘mutual commitment to the peace and stability of the Balkans’. However, tensions in the region still seem to be on the rise.
Tamás Deutsch, during a public radio interview, drew attention to the concerning fact that the EU has been sending billions of Euros in military aid to Ukraine despite its current budget having been approved in December 2020, over a year before the Russian invasion began. He also pointed out that the exact amount spent on aiding the Ukrainian war effort is not even known.
Dodik expressed gratitude for the budgetary support provided by the Hungarian government earlier this year to the Bosnian Serbs, which enabled the institutions to function smoothly. According to the plans, the predominantly Serb-populated region of Bosnia and Herzegovina aims to work on the development of the electrical grid, solar energy, and hydropower, as well as construct a pharmaceutical factory and improve infrastructure.
The Hungarian government has secured an exemption regarding the maintenance of Russian metro cars, allowing the sanctioned Moscow-based company to once again deliver parts to Budapest.
In addition to the French initiative, Hungary has also joined the German-initiated Sky Shield programme, which will further enhance its capabilities through joint procurement.