Hungarian Conservative

The immunity of two more MEPs has been suspended as Antonio Panzeri, one of the main suspects in the Qatargate scandal, agreed to cooperate with the investigation as part of a plea deal to reduce his sentence.

In response to the Qatargate scandal in the European Parliament, EU Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly urged the EP to strengthen its ethics committee.

The level of cooperation between Baku and Budapest was raised to the next level this week by the signing of a declaration on enhanced strategic partnership.

Rodrigo Ballester, head of the Centre of European Studies at MCC, talked to Hungarian Conservative about the dangers of echo chambers, big tech cannibalising content, and the risks of EU institutions overregulating the press.

Over the last couple of years, Chinese investments have greatly contributed to economic growth in Hungary, in sectors ranging from cargo transport to battery manufacturing.

The real danger is not posed by those who would like to embellish public opinion of themselves with bribes, but the external and internal powers that can easily dictate to EU policymakers.

While Europe was busy disciplining Hungary and Poland, the far-left Socialist government of Spain, preparing for re-election, surreptitiously smuggled its politicians into the Constitutional Court.

The designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation would be a serious step by the EU since only Bahrein, Saud Arabia and the United States did so.

Fidesz MEP Balázs Hidvéghi discussed the corruption in Brussels, double standards, and why he recommends that the EP adopt the Hungarian asset declaration system.

Similarly to the budget deficit, public debt is also declining and may drop to below 70 per cent this year. To compare: Hungary’s public debt was 83.6 per cent of the GDP in the second quarter of 2010, the final three months of the Socialist government’s tenure.

The Vox party in Spain proposed a regulation similar to the one introduced in Hungary last year which would allow women to listen to the heartbeat of their foetuses before an abortion.

There is evidence that the news website Nyugati Fény (which, ironically, translates as ‘Western Light’) is being funded by a foreign left-wing entity.

MOL may decide to take the Slovak government to court over the windfall tax to be imposed on
on energy companies in the country.

Facebook’s parent company was found to be in the wrong for not giving its users the option of signing up without agreeing to personalised ads.

‘What does the European Commission have to do with Hungarian education? In short, nothing. Education matters, both in terms of content and in terms of structure, are the responsibility of the Member States.’

Minister Navracsics warned in his letter that by cutting the Erasmus funding, the European Commission is violating Article 13 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Could it be that Orbán is not the enfant terrible of the EU, nor the Trojan horse of Moscow, but one of the few statesmen left in the trans-Atlantic alliance with some common sense and long-term vision?

The uptick in the number of refugees from Ukraine to Hungary is hardly surprising given the cold winter and the damage to the Ukrainian infrastructure and housing.

Veszprém-Balaton’s year as European Capital of Culture will be dedicated to creativity, with art, music and gastronomy-related events being at the core of the programmes.

Energy Minister Csaba Lantos highlighted in a recent interview that the government would continue to subsidize gas prices for Hungarian households up to the level of average consumption.

‘The Hungarian government has fulfilled its commitment: an agreement with Brussels has been reached, thus EU funds will be available to Hungary in 2023, and agriculture can also count on subsidies of an unprecedented scale.’

The concerns about financial security and the moderately enthusiastic assessment of overall life satisfaction by Hungarians in 2022 reflect the difficulties the country’s economy is facing, induced partly by the EU’s sanctions policy.

Despite the tensions with Serbia, in December 2022 Kosovo formally applied to join the EU. But unless relations between Serbia and Kosovo are normalized, accession of either of the countries is unlikely.

The corruption scandals of the EP make the lack of accountability of EU institutions visible for European citizens, contributing to increased disappointment with the system as it is today.

Countries including the United States and Japan as well as some EU member states have enhanced border procedures for tourists from China as a result of China abandoning its zero-COVID policy. Is Hungary planning to take similar action?

Ukraine’s newest attempt to meet EU expectations regarding national minority rights has again failed to grant sufficient institutional protections to the numerous minorities living in the country.

The EU’s most recent corruption scandal—the second within a short period of time—is a reminder of the lack of accountability and popular oversight of Brussels.

The Czechs and the Slovaks are growing increasingly dissatisfied with Europe’s sanctions policy that makes families bear the cost of the war.

EU memory politics places almost exclusive emphasis on Nazism and downplays the significance of Communism in the historical experience of East-Central European members states.

Austria and the Netherlands vetoing Romania and Bulgaria’s Schengen accession contributes to the cementing of a multi-speed Europe.