‘Although almost all of Hungary was covered in noxious and harmful air for the entire weekend, so too was more than half of Central and Northern Europe, with countries such as Denmark, Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, as well as Italy also being directly affected by the emanations (wherever they may have come from)….But what is the cause?’
According to press reports, the European Parliament may approve the candidacy of Hungary’s Commissioner-designate, Olivér Várhelyi, on Wednesday. Unsurprisingly, the left-wing groups in the EP turned his first hearing into an ideological battle, refusing to approve his nomination on biased grounds.
As the US prepares for a presidential transition, Ambassador David Pressman may soon depart Budapest in line with protocol for political appointees under a new administration. There has been no career diplomat leading the US mission in Hungary since the 1990s.
In October 1951, Zoltán Vasvári, a.k.a. ‘Zolibá’, a former Hungarian military officer, gathered the sons of many Hungarian families in his New York apartment to introduce them to Hungarian scouting. Viktor Fischer joined the first patrol in the spring of 1952, and, as he puts it, ‘the scout bug has remained’ in him ever since. A conversation about a long and fruitful life, dedicated to teaching and to the Hungarian American community of the New York area.
Hungarian Finance Minister Mihály Varga presented the government’s draft budget for next year to parliament on Monday. ‘The 2025 budget can be a budget for new opportunities, a budget for new economic policy, and a budget for peace,’ he emphasized in his speech.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán highlighted Hungary’s diplomatic rise after hosting two landmark summits, marking Budapest as a key player in European diplomacy. Orbán shared insights into Hungary’s renewed ties with the United States under President Trump, Hungary’s economic agenda, and the bold policy goals embedded in the recent Budapest Declaration.
According to information provided by Hungarian authorities, a 37-year-old Irish man killed 31-year-old US citizen Mackenzie Michalski in Budapest. The woman, who worked as a nurse, had come to the Hungarian capital for a holiday, a city she deeply loved, but never returned home.
Although less than a week has passed since the US presidential election, President-elect Donald Trump has already spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the war in Ukraine, at least according to American media reports. However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the news as ‘pure fiction’ and stressed that Putin has no specific plans to speak with Trump at present.
Rodrigo Ballester, Head of the European Studies Workshop at Mathias Corvinus Collegium, shared his perspective on the recent parliamentary elections in Georgia in a recent interview with Hungarian Conservative. Among other issues, he discussed the role of Western narratives, which often frame Georgian politics as a binary conflict between pro-Western and pro-Russian factions.
Visit Hungary has launched a nationwide winter tourism campaign offering 20 per cent discounts at over 300 locations for guests paying with SZÉP cards. Running from January through February, the campaign promotes winter travel across Hungary, highlighting the country’s natural beauty, wellness spas, culinary offerings, and winter activities, reaching audiences through television, social media, and online platforms.