Cupids in Conspiracy by François Boucher (1740).

Mind the Preamble, Friends!

The Group of Friends, the nine EU member states that are pushing for the reform of decision-making in the Union, view unanimous decision-making as a weapon. But in fact, as Dryzek and Niemeyer put it, unanimity is ‘the gold standard of political justification’, as ‘it is the only rule of preference concentration that grants Pareto optimality’.

Robert Fico, prime minister of Slovakia

Fico on Top Again

Fulfilling the predictions of the recent polls, the SMER party has won the early elections in Slovakia. Robert Fico will likely be elected prime minister for the fourth time in the history of the Central European country.

(L-R) Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan after the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House on 15 September 2020.

Péter Szijjártó: ‘If we’re Looking for Hope for Peace, We Must Look to the Middle East and the Abraham Accords’

At the recent Peace of Westphalia conference in Münster, the Hungarian foreign minister said the Abraham Accords should serve as an example for resolving other similar conflicts around the world, adding that ‘even though the Middle East seems to be far away in a geographical sense, we all know that whatever happens in the Middle East, it has a direct influence on Europe.’

Changing World Order, War and Security, Global Geopolitical Prospects — This Is What Happened at the Danube Geopolitical Summit

The Third Danube Institute Geopolitical Summit took place last week in the Castle District of Budapest, with such illustrious guests sharing their insights as former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, former Czech President Václav Klaus, Head of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Hungarians Abroad Zsolt Németh, and Lewis Libby, researcher at the Hudson Institute and advisor to former US President George W. Bush.

Béla Bartók: Pictures of a Life

Béla Bartók, one of the greatest musical geniuses of the 20th century, and his friend, another world-renowned giant of Hungarian music, Zoltán Kodály undertook together their major endeavour of national significance—collecting and publishing the full corpus of Hungarian folk songs.

Erasmus Safe Until November; Negotiations to Continue in October

Currently, there is ongoing correspondence between the government and the European Commission regarding the remaining contentious issues related to the frozen EU funds. The dialogue is a follow-up of Minister for Regional Development Tibor Navracsics and Minister for European Union Affairs János Bóka’s talks in Brussels in early September on the release of EU funds and the resolution of the Erasmus dispute.