Many people of faith have taken to X to share their appreciation for the 20 August displays of religious imagery at the fireworks and lights show. They include Dutch political pundit Eva Vlaardingerbroek and American columnist Rod Dreher.
The mediation of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who supported the pact for the temporary relief of Italian refugee camps, and negotiations with the major member states failed to convince Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who eventually prevented the centre-right governments from presenting the migrant quota proposal as a huge step forward in the European election campaign.
Viktor Orbán highlighted that the European Commission requested a pay raise for the Commissioners, while it wants to eliminate utility price reductions in Hungary. He believes this is so absurd that it leaves most EU leaders dumbfounded. The PM also voiced his suspicion that the funds due to Hungary may have ended up in Ukraine.
Péter Szijjártó noted that the so-called post-Cotonou agreement, planned between the European Union and the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group, has three pillars: economic cooperation, migration, and other issues, such as sexual rights. ‘Hungary clearly agrees that economic cooperation should be tightened, which would be beneficial for both parties, especially nowadays when the world is moving towards the formation of blocs again,’ he said, adding, however, that regarding the issue of migration and sexual rights, the Hungarian government has serious doubts and red lines.
Hungary will not allow a slew of agricultural products to be imported from Ukraine until 30 June. A spokesperson of the European Commission called the actions of the Central European countries ‘not acceptable’.
The payment of EU funds allocated to Hungary in the 2021–2027 budget cycle was suspended in December 2022. The suspension, however, does not mean a loss of resources. In other words, the path is clear for Hungary: defying the political headwind, it can set a model for the EU as a whole, as to how its financial interests can be protected by means of the rule of law.
The Hungarian Prime Minister was put under scrutiny for not applauding the Ukrainian President—however, he was not the only one, as some Western journalists and politicians have claimed.
The European Commission proposed on Sunday the suspension of around 7.5 billion Euros of the funds originally allocated to Hungary. However, they also left the door open for a compromise, meaning that Budapest could ultimately receive the entirety of the funding.
POLITICS POLITICS POLITICS Stormy Waters: What Impact Could Red Sea Tensions Hold for Europe? The international coalition led by Washington appears to be incapable of
The central proposition to help decode the nature of the European polis is that the EU is simultaneously a legal and a political formation.