Hungary’s Parliament Speaker fined opposition MPs a record 82 million forints after they disrupted a vote on banning Pride events with smoke bombs and protest banners. Those lighting the devices were also banned from the parliament for 12 days.
‘Polish conservatives are fighting to maintain the status quo, as President Duda serves as a defiant check on the whims of the Tusk government. Outcomes on legislation related to abortion, “hate speech”, faith, and migration are at stake. A Trzaskowski victory would offer carte blanche to a government that has already disregarded legal and institutional barriers to its exercise of power.’
‘Science suggests that 90 per cent is actually the lower limit for what would be Europe’s fair share of emissions reductions by 2040…if we are to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, we cannot put on the handbrake now, when we have only 25 years to go, and 2023 figures show a reduction of only 37 per cent from 1990 levels so far.’
The Fidesz-KDNP coalition, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, won 263 seats out of the National Assembly’s 386 at the time, and won the popular vote by 33.4 points, 15 years ago today, on 25 April 2010. They have won three more elections in a row with a constitutional supermajority since, which is an incredible feat.
Polish PM Donald Tusk has been caught spreading disinformation on X, misleadingly portraying a recent speech by Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán as evidence that he is contemplating Hungary’s exit from the European Union. In doing so, Tusk appeared to be attempting to discredit the right-wing opposition PiS party—which maintains close ties with Orbán—just weeks ahead of the presidential election in May.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed in an X post that the report by POLITICO claiming that he and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff were debating lifting sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline is ‘unequivocally false’ and ‘if POLITICO has an ounce of integrity they will fully retract this piece of fiction.’
The Democratic Party of Korea is reportedly exploring ways to incorporate incentives similar to the Hungarian approach on family policy into its finalized policy package ahead of the presidential elections in June. South Korea is among the countries most severely affected by demographic decline—a crisis already having negative impacts across multiple sectors.
The draft family policy framework of US President Donald Trump’s administration has recently circulated in the media, with a $5,000 incentive for mothers—dubbed the ‘baby bonus’—stealing the spotlight. However, behind this lies a far more extensive and multi-layered approach, incorporating initiatives inspired by Hungary’s world-renowned and successful family policy model.
US President Donald Trump was among the first world leaders to announce that he will attend the funeral of the late Pope Francis on Saturday. Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, will not be present, and despite his close relationship with the pontiff, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will also skip the ceremony.
‘Albeit the Tineke Strik-led delegation was supposed to establish “facts” about the state of the Hungarian democracy and rule of law during their time in Budapest, Strik had her mind made up about these matters long before arriving in Hungary.’
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary has recently given an interview to local journalist András Hont, in which he expressed his view that US President Donald Trump’s ‘tariff wars’ will end in his regaining tariff deals with other countries, and even gave an estimation on when those will be finalized.
Just as before the 2022 parliamentary elections, the European Parliament’s rule of law mission visited Hungary this week. However, there are some crucial differences this time: not a single right-wing political group is represented in Tineke Strik’s delegation, and opposition leader Péter Magyar and his party are now openly and admittedly working against the interests of the Hungarian people.
Just two days after calling for the criminalisation of disinformation, Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar posted a manipulated video of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, attempting to smear him over his stance on Ukraine’s EU membership. It is yet another example of Magyar’s troubled relationship with the truth—one that has surfaced repeatedly, despite his still-nascent political career.
‘We have already seen that Hungary’s living standards have increased enormously in recent years. Unlike Ireland, however, Hungary remains a culturally conservative country. Nevertheless, there is reason to think that this might change in the future—at least, if careful measures are not taken to ensure that it does not.’
‘US policy towards Central Europe is grounded in realism, respect, and renewed engagement,’ US Chargé d’Affaires Robert Palladino emphasized, speaking on US–Central European relations at the Central European Summit, jointly organized by the Oeconomus Economic Research Foundation and the Centre for Fundamental Rights in Budapest.
Governor Josh Shapiro’s gubernatorial mansion was burned down on Sunday, 13 April in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as the Jewish statesman was celebrating passover with his friends and family. Suspect Cody Balmer has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident, an out-of-work welder with serious financial problems.
Ukraine’s accelerated EU accession could consume essential resources and undermine Hungary’s strategic position, warned Political Director to the Prime Minister Balázs Orbán, who outlined the financial, geopolitical, and security risks at a Budapest business conference.
Hungary’s Parliament passed the 15th amendment to the Constitution, reinforcing traditional gender definitions, enshrining the right to pay with cash, and tightening rules on dual citizenship and government powers in emergencies.
Over the weekend both pro-government and opposition rallies were held across Hungary’s capital, Budapest. The demonstrations sent a clear message: both sides are preparing for next year’s election with full force, lending the 2026 parliamentary contest a level of significance not witnessed in Hungary’s political history for quite some time—and demonstrating that the country’s democracy is very much alive.
Former Deputy Assistant to Donald Trump, Fred Fleitz, writes in Newsmax that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán made the right decision in withdrawing from the International Criminal Court last week. Fleitz also urged other countries to follow suit, arguing that the Hague-based court poses a serious threat to national sovereignty due to its politically biased decisions.
With the CDU–SPD coalition agreement presented on Wednesday, it has become clear that the new government, under the leadership of Friedrich Merz, will prioritize Ukraine’s interests over those of Germany and its people. Having failed to deliver on his own campaign promises, Merz is already paying the price for his political betrayal: Alice Weidel’s AfD has overtaken the CDU, becoming the largest party in Germany by a margin of one percentage point.
In a radio interview, Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán discussed EU politics, Ukraine’s accession, domestic economic policies, and national values, drawing comparisons between past and present political controversies and defending the government’s actions.
US Vice President JD Vance warned that Europe is heading toward ‘civilizational suicide’ due to unchecked migration, shrinking freedoms and embracing a woke agenda. Hungary is among the few bright spots, credited for defending its borders and national identity.
Tamás Bernáth, researcher and lecturer at the MCC School of Economics, has recently appeared on the Hungarian news channel HírTV to discuss the new crude oil pipeline being built between Hungary and Serbia; as well as a defence agreement reportedly in the planning between the two nations and its implications.
‘Thanks to the strong relationship between President Trump and Prime Minister Orbán, there is real space—on the ground, in government, in business, and among ordinary citizens—to build something meaningful,’ US Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Robert Palladino remarked during a discussion on US–Hungary relations with President of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs Gladden Pappin.
Alternative für Deutschland reaches record-high support, matching the election-winning CDU, according to an INSA–Bild poll published on Monday. The surge comes as Germany’s soon-to-be Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, faces backlash for turning on his own voters on key issues such as migration and fiscal policy.
In a 5–4 decision, the US Supreme Court ruled that a Federal Judge in DC had no power to halt the deportation of 200 Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador, and the challenge should have been filed in Texas, where the illegal migrants were detained. However, the ruling also stressed that it does not address the constitutionality of using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport illegal migrants.
‘President Donald Trump, on his self-proclaimed “liberation day”, imposed sweeping tariffs of at least 10 per cent on almost every product that enters the U.S. from almost every country…with the aim of keeping jobs within the American homeland. What the president has done is reverting to the American “protectionism” of the 19th century, which economists call the Hamiltonian Statecraft.’
Following talks with Donald Trump at the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to reduce trade barriers for American goods and create a more balanced trade relationship between the two allies.
Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna of Estonia has called Hungary ‘a very weak country’ that is ‘part of Putin’s team’ in inflammatory statements made during a recent interview with the German paper Rheinische Post. He also reiterated his wish to strip Hungary of its voting rights in the Council of the EU.