‘As Francis’s tenure nears its close, we stand at a crossroads—what lies ahead? I pray for his renewed health, while recognizing the time has come—for Catholics, Christians of other traditions, non-believers, indeed all who cherish our shared Western civilization—to ponder and pray for the next pontiff. For the Church and the world now face trials that demand a steady hand to guide this succession’s course.’

‘There is a war in European territory that the elites ruling our continent do not seem eager to end. Its bureaucracy is ever-expanding and forcibly imposing its policies on sovereign peoples. The continent is being crushed by over-regulation, taxation, and centralization of the capital, means of production and decision-making by unelected individuals who are unaccountable for their actions.’

‘Since 1945 America has been the one country that’s been the readiest to stand sentinel to others’ freedom, to do as much for others as they were prepared to do for themselves; often without the honour it deserved for being the policeman that a freer and fairer world will always need.’

‘It is true that it seemed as if both Trump and Vance berated Zelenskyy as if he were a child who refused to do his homework, saying that he was not grateful enough for U.S. aid. And I do not wish to exonerate their behavior, either, but one has to place things into context: it was Zelenskyy who sparked the fire.’

‘Stocker’s old-fashioned, almost managerial Christian democratic character and his almost accidental path to the Chancellorship add to the contradiction between the electoral results and the resulting government…it is undeniable that voters have overwhelmingly rejected the previous ÖVP–Green coalition, with both parties suffering major losses, and voted for change rather than continuity.’

‘It was from Plymouth in 1588 that Sir Francis Drake set out to defeat another invading force, that of the Spanish Armada…Perhaps it is too much to hope that it will be from Plymouth once again that a wind of change blows through our land, blasting to smithereens the remnant of any idea that multicultural society has succeeded and that vast numbers of immigrants are an unalloyed good.’

‘Why then would the U.S. now wish to abandon to uphold and defend the sovereign rights of a free country? Quite simply, because the Ukrainians do not have the manpower anymore to fend off Russian forces, let alone the political clout to regain its lost territories, including Crimea, regardless of European support.’

‘The emerging sovereigntist era unleashes nationalist energies that must be tempered and channelled constructively. Currently, Trump’s “America First” is swinging like a wrecking ball through the West’s liberal order. Also, a new zeitgeist is unfolding, upending our conceptual world and even shifting how we imagine space and time.’

‘The centre-right and conservative parties have the chance to develop this [MEGA] into a great movement that can actually save Europe and the European project. They first need the will to unite, and subsequently the vision, clarity and hard work to put their ideas in practice, winning the hearts and minds of every European.’

‘The verdict is expected on 26 February 2025. Until then, one thing is clear: this trial is not an act of justice but a dirty political manoeuvre with potentially devastating consequences for Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will not only decide Dodik’s future but also inflict lasting damage on the credibility of the Dayton framework.’

Donald Trump likely would not have made it through the Republican primaries had he run in 2012. In 2016, however, he was the only candidate to reject the new absurd language norms imposed by the woke movement and the only candidate to actually speak up against illegal immigration. Since then, he has defied the common wisdom of American intelligentsia and media in multiple ways.

‘As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, the world faces an entirely new reality. A reality where Russia and Putin are no longer portrayed as the greatest evil. A reality where diplomacy is once again regarded as the primary tool for resolving disputes between nations. A reality where the end of the conflict could be within arm’s reach. And a reality where, unfortunately, Ukraine and Europe appear increasingly irrelevant.’

‘Whether through Scripture, the teachings of the Church, or life experience, Christians learn that no relationship or physical place makes them truly at home. For Christians, it has always been challenging to find the right balance between our hope in Jesus Christ and His coming kingdom and our vocations as citizens, spouses…In their articles in The European Conservative, Audrey Unverferth and Rod Dreher highlight important points about family, community and home.’

‘As Christoph Heusgen said, under the Biden regime, Washington and Brussels shared a “common value base”—apart from all those many continental voters and nations who did not share this same identikit set of leftist moral values, who had to be made to do so by means perhaps best described as “meddling in European democracy”.’

‘By rediscovering fundamental needs and values, we will eventually rediscover the need and motivation for having more children. This is a collective project that involves, first of all, ordinary people, philosophers, the church, artists, psychologists, and the government.’

‘Data sovereignty is increasingly critical in global politics, and controlling a substantial portion of Europe’s data infrastructure would give Hungary greater leverage in international affairs. If policymakers take this sector seriously, Hungary can emerge as a leader in data storage, making it indispensable to Europe’s digital economy.’

Western European leaders were quick to rally behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Donald Trump called him a dictator. However, those same leaders remained completely silent when, almost exactly one year ago, former US President Joe Biden accused Viktor Orbán of building a dictatorship in Hungary

‘Mr Khan also took the unusual step of convening a “panel of experts” in January 2024 “to support the evidence review and legal analysis” related to the Gaza case. After this, he announced his pursuit of arrest warrants as the panellists unanimously recommended that he do so. However, it seems that the outcome was already determined beforehand.’

‘Here the problem of postmodern thinking returns. If there is no truth, since everything is relative and free (but if there is an absolute truth, Derrida calls it totalitarianism), then in the marketplace of ideas, truth—since it does not exist—cannot stand out. If there is no truth, thus no lie, and no set of values, then anything can be disseminated in the public discourse of democratic countries, because there is freedom of speech.’

‘The criminality in all this is that Zelenskyy and the U.S.-led West know that the Ukrainians are not going to win on the battlefield, and that Ukraine has effectively become an economic and politically dysfunctional rump state. Yet both want the war to continue, whether for lucrative reasons or not.’

‘Americans need a new vision. They need to see what the pro-life movement has been offering all along, but with new emphasis. As Vance demonstrates, the playbook for really moving past Roe is reintroducing young people to the beauty—and feasibility—of getting married, raising children, and deriving comfort and pride from family life.’

‘To this humble foreign observer, it seems relatively straightforward why Fidesz has remained in power so long: the opposition has failed to offer an appealing alternative. Recently, Mr Márki-Zay, lionized in Western media, proved a poor campaigner (one recalls Kamala Harris). Mr Magyar’s narcissism and personal history seem certain to cause him political problems…’

In recent decades, Europe has faced many challenges, one of which is the demographic crisis. The ageing and declining population, labour shortages and emigration pose a major challenge for almost all European countries. The importance of demographic trends cannot be overestimated, as they will have a major impact on Europe’s future position.

For years the EU dismissed peace talks as premature. When Hungary pushed for negotiations, it was vilified. Now, with Donald Trump launching talks without them, Brussels is scrambling to claim a role it once rejected.

‘The Supreme Court has stated that, on average, it now takes 15 years for a citizen to have their case heard, a stark increase from 1.5 years before the reform. Despite billions spent by European and American taxpayers, not only have the metrics worsened, but Albanian citizens are now receiving less justice.’

Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index has once again ranked Hungary as the most corrupt member state of the EU, placing it alongside Burkina Faso and Cuba for the third consecutive year. However, this time, we exactly know the reason why. Our commentary.

‘Trump’s actions, like them or not, can be seen as an application of a highly contested “unitary executive theory”—an expansive interpretation of presidential power that aims to centralize greater control over the government in the White House. Trump’s measures, however, reflect the constitutional philosophy of the Founding Father who effectively created the American system, Alexander Hamilton.’

‘Whereas in pre-modern Western culture pride and self-respect were derived from involvement in family, community, work and religion, individuals are nowadays left with nothing but their individualism and inner experiences…When this is insufficient, many people attempt to find their salvation…in materialism and consumption, which have become the primary culturally accepted forms of meaning.’

‘The Criminal Code now stipulates that sexual crimes against people under 18 shall never lapse. To make the legal consequences of these heinous crimes even more severe, people convicted of imprisonment for such crimes shall not be released on probation. Perpetrators of these crimes will not be able to obtain parole, reintegration custody, or a certificate of good conduct.’

‘The Ministry of Security, like other Eastern European services, kept a tab on almost every workspace and its “characters of interest” through the pervasive use of civilian informants. “Anti-state activity” was not necessarily stifled with apparent repression; the “black car” did not necessarily come for “wrongdoers”, but they were relentlessly bullied into submission by making the everyday life of them and their families unbearable.’