Hungarian Conservative

According to press reports, BYD Auto Hungary has been registered with a capital of approximately HUF 192 billion, which is twice the annual budget of the city of Szeged, where the Chinese auto giant’s new plant is scheduled to begin production next year.

According to a statement released by Mercedes-Benz on Tuesday, a total of 4,419 Mercedes-Benz cars were registered in Hungary in 2023. Notably, a quarter of these models (639 units) were produced in Kecskemét, with the CLA (314 units), the A-Class (280 units), and the EQB (45 units) continuing to play significant roles in domestic sales.

The transformation of global supply chains has accentuated the importance of the Budapest–Belgrade railway. As a result, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) may become profitable not in the widely reported 979 years, but in only a few years. If the project lives up to expectations, it will not only prove the success of Hungary‘s Opening to the East policy and connectivity goals, but will also position Hungary as a preferable investment destination.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has called for the creation of a common European army. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the question of how Europe can defend itself against the threats it faces has become increasingly pressing.

We can say, albeit cautiously, that 2023 was a year of struggle for many of us, but a year of achievements and success, too. If we take the word ‘struggle’ out of the previous sentence, we could even turn this assessment into a New Year’s wish.

The international coalition led by Washington appears to be incapable of halting the attacks on transport vessels by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia. The inability to use the crucial Strait of Bab el-Mandeb is having a detrimental impact on world trade, directly and indirectly affecting Europe.

No doubt, our continent faces deep crises. And yet, if the cause of human trust, autonomy, and creation can be revitalized in our time, it is going to be Europe that proves this.

Péter Szijjártó pointed out that Hungary managed to achieve great results despite the fact that the global economy underwent significant crises last year, as indicated by global data. The amount of investments made worldwide decreased by 12.5 per cent from 2021 to 2022. In the first half of last year, an additional 30 per cent decrease was recorded.

‘Given these numerous negative trends, it is clear that 2024 stands as a do-or-die moment for European leaders and policymakers to save and turn around the European Union. Achieving such will require making painful decisions. In the short term, the most immediate, visible, and pressing among these is addressing the migrant crisis, including the reality that many migrants, refugees, and illegal immigrants are taking advantage of Europe’s over-generous welfare state.’

The consumption of lentils at midnight on New Year’s Eve or on the first day of the New Year is one of the most widespread Hungarian customs. According to tradition, each lentil symbolizes a coin. Those who partake in lentils on the first day of the New Year are believed to have a full wallet throughout the entire year.

BYD, the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer based in Shenzhen, China is opening a new factory in the southern Hungarian city of Szeged. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has called it ‘one of the biggest investment projects in Hungary’s history’.

‘What should Hungarians do? The question—and Orbán’s visionary answer—has meaning beyond Hungary, in ways that Americans and other Westerners only dimly recognize now. And it goes back to the prime minister’s 2014 advocacy of “illiberal democracy” for Hungary.’

In the West, there are a number of remarkable, colourful traditions linked to Christmas that vary from country to country. But what cannot be missing from any home where Christmas is celebrated is a decorated pine tree.

Serbia’s geopolitical destiny seems preordained. Encircled by NATO and EU nations and deeply intertwined economically with Europe, Serbia is experiencing a constant drift toward the West while remaining nominally neutral. It is his ability to facilitate this complex and domestically controversial process that makes Vučić so valued by Washington and Brussels.

At the year-end press conference, PM Orbán explained why he chose to veto the €50 billion aid package to Ukraine at the recent EU Summit, how he views the potential Ukrainian and Swedish NATO accession, and what he believes the biggest struggles of 2023 were. He also talked about what hopes he has for the new year of 2024.

According to the Ministry of Energy’s plans, domestic enterprises can apply for non-refundable state support from a budget of 30 billion HUF for the purchase of purely electric cars, light trucks, or minibuses.

According to estimates, in November Russia suffered over 900 casualties a day; thousands of Ukrainian civilians and more than 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the start of the invasion. It is clear that the cost of the war is becoming unbearably high.

The passing of former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger marks the end of an era in global diplomacy and strategy. A stalwart in realpolitik with a controversial legacy, his insights are now more relevant than ever before.

‘Once the power transition issue subsides, revenge is likely to become a central issue in Polish politics. Among the presumed incoming government’s proposals are journalistic purges and political show-trials, precisely the sort of banana-republic behavior anti-PiS voices have long alleged on the part of the outgoing government.’

Earlier this year, the EU reached a preliminary agreement with Hungary regarding judicial reforms, outlining specific milestones that the Orbán government must fulfil to access funds.

‘The fact of the matter is that this is the West’s stupidest war with Britain helping to lead the way: unnecessary, unaffordable, and unwinnable.’

According to the Hungarian government, ‘preserving the ethnic foundations is our joint responsibility’, and as long as that exists, the politics based on ethnic groups also has a future, the Hungarian prime minister said.

In a bizarre speech, Canadian Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen alleged, with no basis whatsoever, that the Conservatives in parliament oppose the modernized trade deal with Ukraine because one of them had a trip to London paid by the Hungarian Danube Institute last summer.

The following is Part III of a three-part analysis that sets out to illustrate the three fault lines that are about to redraw the geostrategic map of the Old World.

‘What will determine whether the situation plays to Hungary’s favour or not will be the ability of its leaders to balance the concerns of its security partners with the benefits it gains from its economic ones. With its society becoming more dependent on cyber infrastructure, what is undeniable is the necessity to protect it from hostile foreign influence and manipulation. Its western allies offer the greatest opportunity to accomplish that but would likely come at the cost of its Chinese-built infrastructure.’

In his regular Friday morning interview with public Kossuth radio, Viktor Orbán addressed issues such as migration, the economy and Ukraine’s EU accession.

Balázs Orbán presented the French version of his book The Hungarian Way of Strategy at a roundtable discussion organized by the Hungarian consulate in Paris. The second part of the book, focusing on economic issues, is expected to hit the shelves before Christmas.

The following is Part II of a three-part analysis that sets out to illustrate the three fault lines that are about to redraw the geostrategic map of the Old World.

The Egerszalók vineyard’s top wine, the 2018 vintage Agapé Bikavér, received the highest-ever score for a Hungarian dry red wine, 98 points, as reported by the winery’s website.

The following is Part I of a three-part analysis that sets out to illustrate the three fault lines that are about to redraw the geostrategic map of the Old World.