The Patriots for Europe group sought a plenary debate on corruption cases in Ukraine and the risks linked to EU financial aid, but their proposal was rejected by the left, liberal, and EPP majority in the European Parliament, prompting renewed criticism over transparency and accountability.
‘An increasingly uncomfortable truth is emerging for Europe: its economic fate now depends largely on the balance of power between the United States and China…One of the big questions for the coming years will therefore be whether Europe, and Hungary within it, will be able to move beyond its role as a passive victim of other countries’ trade wars and instead build its own industrial and climate policies.’
The Hungarian Institute of International Affairs’ first EastSec Forum examined Europe’s shifting security landscape amid the Russo–Ukrainian war. Speakers, including HIIA President Gladden J Pappin and Zachary Paikin of the Quincy Institute, stressed Hungary’s growing mediating role, the collapse of post–Cold War security structures, and the need to rebuild guarantees for lasting peace.
Semmelweis University has been named Central Europe’s top institution, and Hungary aims to elevate it into the ranks of Europe’s and the world’s leading universities, officials said at the opening of the university’s new Diagnostic and Therapeutic Centre in Budapest.
‘Rather than embracing theoretical frameworks like the concept of the EU as a “liberal empire”, what is now needed is a far more pragmatic approach—one that focuses on enhancing economic competitiveness and developing strategies aimed at strengthening the role of the EU in the global economy.’
‘Although the Commission’s aim is for the new fund to be the flagship for strengthening European industry, the division among Member States clearly shows that competitiveness is now not just an economic issue, but also a political one.’
‘The paradox, if not hypocrisy, on the part of the EU is that its so-called enforcement of the rule of law or founding values, whatever those are supposed to be, is in direct violation of the principle of subsidiarity…’
Elon Musk has publicly humiliated Ursula von der Leyen over the EU’s democratic deficit, replying to her post about the ‘European Democracy Shield’ by asking: ‘If democracy is the foundation of freedom, shouldn’t your position be elected by the people?’ The viral exchange reignited debate over the Commission’s legitimacy and growing centralization of power in Brussels.
‘Shortly after the press conference between the two countries, the mainstream media began to sow doubts about Hungary’s diplomatic achievement. Citing anonymous sources, Reuters and the BBC started to spread rumours that Hungary received its exemption for only one year.’
Hungary has secured a US-backed ‘financial shield’ to protect its economy from external shocks, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said after meeting Donald Trump at the White House. He claimed that the European Commission’s ‘financial blackmail’ had become ineffective, adding that the US had promised to defend Hungary’s financial stability.