US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Budapest on Sunday for talks with Hungarian leaders, including the signing of a nuclear energy cooperation agreement and discussions on bilateral ties and efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine.
‘The Germany in which Hungarians still believe—or try to believe—long drew its strength from the “economic miracle” built by earlier, hard-working generations. The prosperity stemming from that achievement still endures, but its nature has changed. There is no question of outright impoverishment, yet this prosperity now seems to have stalled, and little real progress is being made.’
‘Ukraine’s agile innovations and Russia’s scaled standardization both demonstrate how gaming culture can bolster sovereignty against aggression, yet unchecked, it threatens to dissolve the human element in warfare, turning soldiers into avatars in a perpetual virtual arena.’
‘This genuine, organic conception of evolution stands in full harmony with a spiritually grounded understanding of the universe. Just as society unfolds its latent traditions, and a seed unfolds the tree inherent within it, so the entire created world unfolds from the infinite possibilities of the Principle.’
At his annual State of the Nation Address, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary stated that the oil business, the banking sector, and the Brussels elite are trying to form a government in Hungary through the opposition Tisza Party. If they were to succeed, international corporations would siphon billions of forints out of the country, hurting Hungarian families, he warned.
‘Almost nothing engenders more pride in Australia than someone from an obvious migrant background, speaking with a broad Australian accent, succeeding in something that reflects well on our country. But that means migrants who see Australia as a place to be committed to, rather than simply to be taken advantage of.’
‘Arrow Cross gunmen tore up the neutral diplomats’ Schutz-passes that gave Hungarian Jews protection, forced them to the banks of the Danube and shot them into the freezing waters. As a neutral diplomat, Wallenberg could have fled west. Instead, he remained to carry on his rescue work.’
‘King Béla I lost his life in 1063 in an accident, or—as has recently been suggested—as a result of a political conspiracy…The latter would not be entirely surprising, given that 15 per cent of European rulers living between 600 and 1800 ended their lives as victims of political murder, and it is well known that ruling was one of the most dangerous occupations in the Middle Ages.’
Budapest’s culture draws tourists through architecture, music, film, and cuisine. Experts at a BP Műhely panel highlighted how residents shape the city’s image, from service workers to everyday curiosity, while sports and party districts diversify the capital’s appeal on the global stage.
The Republican Representatives in the US House, joined by one Democrat, have passed the SAVE Act, which would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require proof of US citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. The bill is now headed to the Senate, where it will have a tough fight to clear the 60-vote filibuster threshold, despite the GOP’s majority in the Chamber.
Is the Ayatollah regime willing to change under societal pressure? Will Iran strike a deal on its nuclear programme with the US? Does it have the capacity for a blitzkrieg? We interviewed the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs’ Budapest Global Dialogue on the ongoing turbulences in Iran.
Budapest’s municipality has begun construction on the Demo Hub, a pilot project under the EU co-financed AHA Budapest programme, transforming a long-vacant school building in Újpest into 26 energy-efficient affordable homes.
‘Is Donald Trump really weakening Europe? Or is it the fact that we have admitted millions of people whom we are unable to integrate? Over a 50–100-year horizon, this will fundamentally reshape our societies.’
Hungary’s Transport Ministry held a workshop on integrating stronger traffic education into the revised Traffic Code, focusing on early childhood training, unified methodology and a national action plan to improve road safety.
The EU is the first jurisdiction to introduce a carbon border adjustment mechanism to prevent carbon leakage from production moving to countries with looser emissions rules. While it could advance the Paris Agreement’s goals, it also raises trade tensions—especially in the already complex EU–US relationship.
A joint project led by ELTE’s National Digital Heritage Laboratory and Digitéka has made more than 330,000 pages of historic Transylvanian Hungarian newspapers searchable and digitally preserved using advanced OCR and layout recognition technologies.
The division within Europe inevitably returns, as American power and interest recedes.
Hungary got Ukraine for a politically charged clash, as well as Georgia and Northern Ireland for their UEFA Nations League group opponents in League B of the competition. The games will be played this fall.
Francesca Albanese has a long track record of antisemitic remarks and denunciations of Israel, for which she has faced repeated condemnation and even sanctions from the Trump administration.
Hungary’s HUN-REN Research Network and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics have signed a joint action plan aimed at combining research capacity, strengthening doctoral training and enhancing the country’s international scientific competitiveness.
‘Eventually, a compromise was reached, and Kyiv was authorized to procure weapons from outside the bloc…In exchange for the purchases, these non-EU countries are required to participate in the cost of the loan. Brussels will negotiate the exact level of “fair and proportionate” contributions with each partner country individually.’
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said a Brussels–Kyiv alliance is seeking to remove Hungary’s national government as an obstacle to fast-tracking Ukraine’s EU accession, arguing that political change in Budapest is central to the plan.
In a recent episode of the Brussels Playbook Podcast, POLITICO’s Chief EU Correspondent Zoya Sheftalovich has explained that the EU leadership is hiding information about Ukraine’s planned accession to help Péter Magyar defeat Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the upcoming Hungarian elections. If PM Orbán does prevail, the EU is even willing to strip Hungary of its voting rights, she also revealed.
‘The rules-based international order fragmenting, uncertainty growing, and conflicts multiplying around the world, this year’s conference is taking place at a fundamental turning point.’
From the collapse of USAID to debates over federalism and decentralization, speakers argued that aid and political models in the Middle East must be grounded in realism, accountability and respect for lived realities rather than abstract ideals.
New data from the Kiel Institute reveal a decisive turning point in the Ukraine war: Europe, not the United States, has become Kyiv’s primary military and financial backer. As Washington scales down support under Donald Trump, European governments are assuming the burden—transforming the conflict from a mainly American proxy war into Europe’s own geopolitical and economic responsibility.
‘Time is in fact the hero of the plot…Given so much time, the “impossible” becomes possible, the possible probable, and the probable virtually certain. One has only to wait: time itself performs the miracles.’
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has condemned Brussels’s reported plan to fast-track Ukraine into the European Union by 2027 as ‘an open declaration of war’ against Hungary. He warned that proposals to remove his veto—through electoral change or stripping Hungary’s voting rights—amount to a direct assault on national sovereignty and democratic choice.
MCC Brussels has launched the Democracy Interference Observatory (DIO) to investigate how EU institutions, regulators, digital platforms, and EU-funded NGOs influence national elections. The Observatory will begin its work with the 2026 Hungarian parliamentary elections, examining emerging patterns of regulatory pressure, narrative coordination, and information control across Europe.
From Kurdish self-governance to the UAE’s federal model, speakers at an MCC–Danube Institute conference argued that the Middle East’s minority question demands multiple, locally grounded solutions rather than one-size-fits-all answers.