Italy has joined Belgium, Bulgaria and Malta in resisting the European Commission’s plan to use frozen Russian assets as collateral for a €210 billion loan to Ukraine, warning of profound legal and financial risks. The pushback intensifies scrutiny of Brussels’s decision to invoke emergency powers to sidestep expected vetoes from Hungary and Slovakia.
Ursula von der Leyen claims only voters decide a nation’s leaders—yet recent EU actions tell a very different story. From Romania’s annulled election to Germany’s institutional crackdown on AfD and France’s judicial assault on Marine Le Pen, the Union shows an increasingly authoritarian instinct that undermines democratic choice.
In an open letter to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia has called on the EU to abandon the dogmatic approach to climate policy and chase the net zero agenda for the sake of the struggling European industry, especially the automotive sector. The letter was co-signed by five other PMs, including Viktor Orbán of Hungary and Giorgia Meloni of Italy.
POLITICO Brussels reports that Belgium may soon be treated like Hungary—isolated, ignored and punished—simply for refusing Ursula von der Leyen’s EUR 165 billion Ukraine loan scheme. The message is unmistakable: in today’s EU, disagreement is no longer tolerated, and the system is shifting toward open coercion.
‘Some argue, however, that the EU’s “solidarity” pool is nothing but a punishment for those countries that handled migration well over the years.’
The European Commission’s decision to fine X €120 million under the DSA has ignited the sharpest transatlantic clash since Trump returned to power. Musk called the penalty ‘bullsh*t’, while senior US officials warned the EU is undermining free speech and straining the foundations of the alliance.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán warned that the coming days may determine whether the war moves closer to Europe or tensions ease. He criticized the EU’s limited role in major negotiations and cautioned that Europe faces a dangerous moment.
US Vice President JD Vance blasted Brussels for targeting Elon Musk’s X platform, urging the EU to defend free speech instead of ‘attacking American companies over garbage’. His remarks follow reports that the European Commission is preparing a major DSA fine against X—just as tensions with Washington escalate over Ukraine and trade.
The launch of Budapest — What We Are Proud Of photo album at the Museum of Ethnography celebrated the city’s recent architectural renaissance. It featured distinguished guests such as architect Sándor Finta, pianist János Balázs, Ministerial Commissioner for the Liget Project László Baán, and famous Hungarian TV host Nóra Ördög.
Elon Musk has praised Viktor Orbán’s hard line on migration by sharing a viral clip in which the prime minister warns that progressive elites seek to reshape Europe demographically. As US conservatives rallied behind Orbán, Donald Trump reportedly intensified pressure on EU governments to abandon pro-migration policies and confront the crisis honestly.