Uber to Restart Services in Hungary

Since all the necessary permits have been obtained, Uber can indeed re-enter the Hungarian market in the summer. The American ride-hailing company withdrew from Hungary in 2016, but now it is set to resume operations in partnership with Főtaxi.

The renovated Benczúr Castle in Szécsény.

The Picture Writer’s Mansion: Visiting the Reborn Benczúr Castle

‘Picture writer’ is the old name for a painter, a term used by Benczúr to describe himself, even officially, for example when signing a contract of sale of an estate. ‘By choosing Gyula Benczúr’s self-definition as the main title of the exhibition, we want to draw visitors’ attention to the fact that the exhibition offers new approaches to his oeuvre through a “re-reading” of the works of art and primary written and pictorial sources,’ says curator Evelin Páll.

V4 foreign minister (L-R) Radosław Sikorski (Poland), Jan Lipavský (Czech Republic), Péter Szijjártó (Hungary), and Miroslav Lajcák (Slovakia) in Prague on 21 March 2024

Cooperation vs Confrontation: The V4 in the Shadow of the Russia–Ukraine War

‘The Visegrad Group has reached a tipping point in the face of growing geopolitical and security challenges. The external and internal dynamics of the regional alliance of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia have encountered obstacles where the need for unity clashes with competing views, aims, and pressures.’

Farmers May Play Decisive Role in EP Elections

In Poland’s municipal elections a significant majority of farmers voted for the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party. As right-wing parties across the continent have consistently supported the farmers ever since the beginning of the Europe-wide protests, discontented farmers could play a key role in facilitating the long-awaited right-wing shift in the EU.

Jan Zahradil

‘EP elections will not be a revolution but the first steps of an evolutionary transformation’ — An Interview with Jan Zahradil

‘People in Europe want change, and they will certainly voice this in the elections, which will result in a shift in the political balance of the European Parliament. However, I don’t think this is a revolutionary change. It will hardly change the balance of power in the board too much, but there is at least a chance that the atmosphere will change. We’ll see where all this could lead us.’

Romania's President Klaus Johannis, Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda and his wife Diana Nausediene pose upon arrival at the social dinner during the NATO Summit in Vilnius on 11 July 2023.

Rutte or Klaus — Campaign for NATO Secretary General Picking Up Momentum

Hungary strongly opposes Dutch PM Mark Rutte’s candidacy. There are alternatives to Rutte, however; candidates that might not enjoy widespread support as of now but are less divisive. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, for one, recently announced his candidacy for the role. But Hungary’s endorsement of President Iohannis is not self-evident, considering that Klaus accused the Romanian Socialist Democratic Party and the Hungarian minority party UDMR of conspiring ‘to give Transylvania to Hungary’ during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Poland: One of the Good Boys Again?

‘The unfreezing of funds is a turning point in the EU⁠–⁠Poland relationship—one that had become very strained in recent years—and of course a major political success for the new cabinet. But that is not the only reason why the Commission decision is so instructive: the damage to the rule of law in Poland, which was so widely reported on in the European press in recent years, appears to have been reversed in less than two months, to the extent that the European Commission was willing to waive the withholding of EU funds, which is undoubtedly a very effective tool for blackmailing reluctant member states.’