James Woudhuysen, the author of the study and a guest professor at London South Bank University, stated that the EU energy policy and decision-making are more ‘performative’ than effective, and the related decisions have not improved but rather worsened the energy situation in the EU.

‘Hungary has submitted the draft contract modifications to the European Commission, and we received the green light from them yesterday,’ Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced.

The minister reported at a press conference following the meeting of the Hungarian-Serbian Economic Joint Committee that the contract for the planned oil pipeline, to be established in cooperation between Mol and Transnafta, will be signed at the 20 June government summit.

Europe and Hungary were fortunate to have a mild winter, but ‘a country’s leadership cannot make an unequivocal bet that this will always be repeated,’ Energy Minister Lantos warned. Therefore, the government has decided to raise the level of the security gas reserve. Previously, the country stored 10 per cent of its annual consumption as a security reserve, which was now raised to nearly 2 billion cubic metres, or 20 per cent of consumption, while consumption itself decreased.

Hungary and Bangladesh belong to the peace-loving global majority, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in a joint press conference with Bangladeshi Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi in Budapest on Friday.

‘Hungarian-Serbian strategic energy cooperation is one of the guarantees that Hungary’s supply will remain secure in the next period,’ the minister said.

Fidesz MEP András Gyürk emphasised that creating modern energy storage facilities is a costly endeavour, so he called upon the European Commission to ‘provide immediate access to each member state to the funds they are entitled to.’

While last September, only 40 per cent were satisfied with the transformed utility cost reduction scheme, by March this year the same number rose to 49 per cent. Additionally, the percentage of those dissatisfied dropped from 52 to 44 per cent, the data shows.

Budapest energy prices were the lowest among capitals that are part of the European Union. As far as Europe is concerned, prices were the lowest in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Trans-Dniester in Moldova is considered to be Russia’s next target for invasion by the intelligence communities of multiple countries. Meanwhile, there has been social unrest is the capital city of Chisinau, also suspected to be connected to the Kremlin.

‘What Europe ultimately needs is a fundamental psychological shift, in which pathological Western civilizational guilt and national self-effacement are set aside. Needless to say, this is a tall order for Western and Northern Europe. Here the nations of Central and Eastern Europe seem to have some advantage, however, having been somewhat isolated from such forces by history. They may be able to increasingly play a beneficial leadership role—if others are willing to listen.’

The Finnish energy consultancy company VaasaETT recently issued a report that shows Hungarian utility costs to be the lowest in the entire EU.

A recent study out of the United Kingdom found that with the European energy crisis, one in three church buildings costs more to maintain in a year than what its congregation is able to raise. In the wake of these unfortunate developments, we reached out to Churches here in Hungary to find out how they are dealing with the situation. Here is what we found.

To meet the demand for electric vehicles, the Volkswagen Group intends to establish a total of six new battery plants around Europe by 2030. However, the project may become unfeasible if energy prices continue to rise.

Budapest’s iconic Hauer cake shop announced this month that due to the negative impact of the economic environment on the catering industry they were forced to close.

Warsaw has inked contracts worth billions of euros with US and Korean companies to build nuclear power plants.

The general switchover must be a deliberate and incremental process, mindful of the specific situation and the needs of each member state.

Ultimately, the fact that Belgium still allows Russian diamond imports means that they are more invested in supplying those living a life of luxury with rare precious stones than in letting people heat their homes in the winter.

A large Prague demonstration this past Saturday sent a clear message to policymakers that the Czech people are fed up with the mistaken Russian sanctions and their devastating impact on the cost of living. Research indicates that citizens in other capitals across Europe might follow suit soon.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, announced on Monday that the EU is preparing an ’emergency intervention’ in the bloc’s power market to curb skyrocketing prices.

The precarious situation created by the war could bring the renaissance of nuclear energy as it appears to be a proper answer to energy security issues while helping governments to meet green energy goals.

While green groups and opposition parties are harshly criticizing the new regulations on tree felling implemented by the government, experts and government officials insist the new rules will not endanger Hungary’s forests.

Spain places restrictions on heating and air conditioning to conserve energy. Rules are applicable to public and large commercial buildings, but president of the Community of Madrid said she would defy the new rules.

The Asia-Pacific region is facing its worst energy crisis in years, and the consequences of their responses will likely affect the entire globe.

Europe is scrambling to replace Russian oil and gas, which has renewed interest in massive African oil and gas investments.

Due to the multifaceted crisis the continent is dealing with, the probability of recession is rising.

The discussion focused on the current energy crisis, in the context of the recent Hungarian and French elections and the Russian-Ukrainian war. The panelists also provided an expert analysis of Hungary’s energy structure and the challenges and difficulties posed by the inevitable energy transition.