Hungary’s former Minister of Finance Mihály Varga was officially sworn in as the new Governor of the Hungarian National Bank on Monday, pledging to serve the interests of the nation during his six-year term starting this week.
‘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.’
The Brutalist, the film about a Jewish Hungarian artist who flees to the US from the Holocaust, did not win Best Picture at the 2025 Oscars, as most Hungarian people most likely would have liked to see. Instead, Anora, a film about a Russian American stripper was awarded in the category. However, Adrien Brody playing the Hungarian protagonist in The Brutalist won the Best Actor award.
In 2025 the Museum of Fine Arts and the Hungarian National Gallery will present a rich programme of exhibitions, including world-famous artefacts and works by renowned artists. The Director General of the Museum of Fine Arts stressed that the museum continues to be among the 100 most visited institutions in the world, with around 800,000 visitors in 2024.
‘Although Hamas claimed that Ariel and Kfir were killed in an Israeli airstrike, the IDF revealed that the two little boys did not die of malnutrition and were apparently murdered. Ben Shapiro highlighted in his opinion article: “Hamas mutilated the bodies to make it look as though they were not, in fact, beaten or strangled to death. Remember, they were taken by Gazan civilians.”’
‘Hungary has set the standard for any other nation on what it really means to protect human rights, religious freedom for all, and protecting the family as well…For us in the United States, knowing that in Europe there is a country that really stands on fundamental principles and morals and values is very exciting for us and that’s why we’re seeing a great partnership between the Trump administration and the Hungarian administration, which will continue to grow,’ bishop and human rights activist Dr Paul Murray told our site.
‘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.’
The Museum of Ethnography in Budapest will celebrate its 153rd anniversary on 5 March with a full day of free events, including the unveiling of a rare Hungarian photography exhibition, lectures, concerts, and interactive programmes.
Head of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás of Hungary stated at the Károli Open University event that he is certain US President Donald Trump will visit Hungary at some point in his second term. If he does so, he will become the fourth incumbent POTUS to come to our country.
‘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.’
Ahead of the upcoming EU summit, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has called on Brussels to abandon military escalation in Ukraine and instead initiate peace negotiations, advocating a diplomatic strategy inspired by US President Donald Trump.
Hungary has initiated an extensive inquiry into the financial activities of the United States Agency for International Development, aiming to reveal the recipients of its funds within the country and to dismantle what officials describe as a deeply embedded international corruption network.
‘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.’
‘Hungarian Minister for National Economy Márton Nagy recently visited Bulgaria and met with President Rumen Radev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov, Minister of Economy and Industry Peter Dilov, and Minister of Tourism Miroslav Borshosh. The meeting marks a significant step forward in bilateral relations.’
‘Even if Count László Széchenyi had done nothing for his country but win the heart of Gladys Vanderbilt for the Hungarian cause, he would have done enough because Gladys Vanderbilt achieved much, and the fruits of her achievements were enjoyed by Hungarian families in need.’
Erasmus+ was designed to bring European students closer together and strengthen academic cooperation; it was to be a vector of unity and a means of transmitting the fundamental values of our civilization. Yet the current management of the programme betrays these founding principles.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine travelled to Washington, DC to sign the agreement that would create a co-owned fund between the US and Ukraine that would manage Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. However, the meeting came to a premature end, as President Trump asked Zelenskyy to leave after a tense discussion in front of the media, cancelling their scheduled lunch and joint press conference.
‘Chief Rabbi Béla Berend was considered a black sheep in the history of Hungarian Jewish leadership. His controversial activities within the Budapest Jewish Council during the German occupation and the Holocaust of 1944–45, followed by his trial before the People’s Tribunal, left a mark on his legacy.’ The following article provides some additional details about Berend’s activities in the US.
‘The names of the Kárász girls, Ilonka and Mariska, are little known here in Hungary, even though both were significant figures in American visual culture and are widely respected overseas. Ilonka drew two hundred covers for the legendary The New Yorker magazine and designed furniture, interiors, and fabrics, and her work, like that of her sister, is held in the most important American collections to this day.’
An in-depth conversation with Gábor Mózsi, who, after an adventurous childhood in Budapest, moved to America at the age 21. He initially became involved in the Chicago Hungarian community as a photographer, then was elected president of the Hungarian Club. He also joined the board of the Hungarian Communion of Friends and helped launch a youth leadership training program.
‘On a hike, on holiday, at a family dinner, or as a gift abroad, winter salami (téliszalámi) is always the perfect choice. It never gets old, has no rivals, is long-lasting, tasty, famous, and, most of all, very Hungarian. Pick and Herz winter salami has been a Hungarikum since 2014.’
Hungary’s reformed universities have far exceeded expectations in the past four years, significantly improving their international rankings and student enrolment. At the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest’s graduation ceremony, officials praised these institutions’ growing influence and ongoing government support.
At the Peace Through Strength conferences hosted by the Center for Fundamental Rights in Budapest, the distinguished guests discussed the new geopolitical realities brought on by the second Trump administration. They have put a special emphasis on the Hamas–Israeli war, and the attacks on the religious freedom of Jews and Christians alike around the world.
Hungary’s government is ramping up efforts to expand its forested areas, aiming to increase forest coverage from 24 per cent to 27 per cent. Minister István Nagy highlighted the strategic importance of forests for environmental sustainability and livability, announcing substantial funding for afforestation and urban tree-planting initiatives.
Hungary’s Opening to the East strategy has been one of the country’s most significant economic achievements over the past 15 years, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó. Speaking in Budapest, he stressed that Hungary rejects an economic cold war and has greatly benefited from East–West cooperation.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has outlined his government’s ambitious plan to restructure Hungary’s tax system with families at its core. In a radio interview, he reaffirmed his commitment to boosting birth rates through tax benefits while pledging decisive action against inflation. He also addressed international affairs, domestic security, and social policies, including measures against drug trafficking and gender ideology in schools.
The Danube Institute hosted an event dedicated to free speech in the UK and Brexit titled ‘Renewing UK Politics: Conservative Challenges and the Road to Prosperity’. The panel featured Senior Researcher Guy Dampier and Managing Director Dr Radomir Tylecote from the London-based conservative think tank Prosperity Institute, as well as Visiting Fellow Doug Stokes from the Danube Institute.
‘Europe lacked the necessary autonomy and did not understand the nature of the Ukrainian conflict enough to take a more independent stance against the pressures of the Biden administration,’ Jovan Palalić, member of the Serbian Parliament and President of the Serbia–Vatican Friendship Group in the National Assembly of Serbia, said in an interview.
‘I had been to Budapest before the war, but that was a long time ago. It was the first time I saw the theatre here. And I can safely say that I have seen real theatre,’ Orson Welles highlighted when he visited Budapest in 1967.