Hungarian Conservative

Weeks of farmers’ protests across Europe seem to have broken Brussels, with the European Commission making significant concessions to disgruntled farmers. However, quick symptomatic treatments will not resolve the deep-rooted problems of European agriculture.

Hungary has persistently advocated for a shift in the EU’s agricultural policy towards Ukraine. The prolonged farmer protests have influenced the stance of other member states, with France spearheading a coalition of states seeking to enforce stricter trade restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural products.

After vetoing the call for a ceasefire in Gaza in February, Hungary ultimately subscribed to a joint statement on 21 March for the first time since the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war. Thus, EU leaders have unanimously called for ‘an immediate humanitarian halt leading to a sustainable ceasefire’ in Gaza.

According to Nicola Procaccini, those who attempt to demonize Viktor Orbán are seeking to impose their minority political perspectives onto others. The remarks made by the co-chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists signify another indication that Fidesz may indeed join the conservative political group following the European elections in the summer.

‘‘‘More power to Brussels! Down with the nations!’’ is the motto that best describes what the Commission and the EP agree on. As for the differences in opinion, they are only rooted in the question of where exactly in Brussels the power that has been taken from the Member States should be concentrated.’

According to POLITICO, Slovakia may soon find itself undergoing a rule of law procedure, possibly leading to the European Commission deciding to freeze EU funds due to the Central European state. The contrasting paths of Robert Fico and Donald Tusk serve as a clear illustration of Brussels’ ideological warfare on member states that refuse to surrender their national sovereignty.

Among the nominees for Category B of the New European Bauhaus Prize there is a Hungarian project titled Cooperative Ownership for Communities. It aims to create a multifunctional space by transforming a four-story building in one of Budapest’s old industrial areas. The New European Bauhaus Prizes 2024 Ceremony will be held during the New European Bauhaus Festival in Brussels between 9 and ⁠13 April.

‘I was outraged to learn that the Erasmus opportunity is being denied to Hungarian students and researchers. As a former Erasmus student, this particularly upsets me. In the meantime, it turns out that the EU has awarded funds of almost two million euros to the Islamic University of Gaza, which is connected to the terrorist organization Hamas. This is absolutely insane,’ philosopher and political scientist Leonardo Orlando told Hungarian Conservative.

The European Parliament is seriously considering legal action against the European Commission regarding the allocation of EU funds to Hungary. Despite Brussels releasing €10.2 billion last December, over €20 billion remain blocked due to ‘rule of law concerns’.

The European Commission proposes starting accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday in Strasbourg. Issues being discussed at the European Parliament Plenary also include the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and European security, among others.

This comes in addition to the €10.2 billion of COVID recovery and EU cohesion funds released in December 2023.

Ursula von der Leyen has announced her intention to be the candidate of the European People’s Party for a new term leading the European Commission. However, the EPP leadership intends to change the policy Von der Leyen has pursued for the past five years.

Despite concessions from the European Commission, farmer protests across Europe show no signs of abating. On 22 February, farmers from the Visegrád Group countries will hold a joint demonstration to protest against EU agricultural policies.

The Sovereignty Protection Office has recently launched an investigation into footage that has been circulating like wildfire on social media platform X, which shows that Hungarian-born American billionaire George Soros did indeed interfere in the 2022 parliamentary elections in Hungary.

The European Commission has launched an infringement procedure against Hungary over the Sovereignty Protection Law, opening a new front in the unending battle over sovereignty between Brussels and Hungary.

‘It is clear that the unhindered influx of masses of illegal arrivals, aided by criminals, and then the processing of asylum applications within the EU is a failure of failures,’ György Bakondi expressed on public M1 television.

Balázs Orbán observes that Brussels believes it is in the interest of European countries for the Russo-Ukrainian war to continue or possibly escalate. Hungary, on the other hand, is of a different opinion; this conflict has no military solution and a diplomatic resolution is needed.

Orbán told public radio that Hungary only consented to financial contributions allocated towards efforts to prevent the collapse of the Ukrainian state at the Thursday Council meeting. He said peace was the crucial issue as regards the war between Russia and Ukraine but ‘the situation is not good in this respect, since Brussels is suffering from war fever’.

Concerning press reports suggesting that an Italian defendant charged with participation in last year’s Antifa attacks is being held in demeaning conditions in a Budapest prison, Gulyás said all detention conditions meet European Union and Hungarian standards. Inmates are given three meals a day, he stressed, dismissing the claim that prison cells are rat-infested. He reminded that foreign inmates are also informed of prison rules in their mother tongue upon admission.

The Prime Minister expressed concern about the lack of proper respect for agriculture as a crucial element of the European economy within the European Union. He criticized unfavourable regulations imposed in several countries, making the situation difficult for farmers.

László Botka, the mayor of Szeged, called the signing historically significant for both the city and Hungarian economic history. He welcomed the close cooperation between the Szeged local government and the government on the matter, saying that the common goal is the quick construction of the factory.

Similarly to the French president, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck also spoke sharply in his assessment of Europe’s place and competitiveness. In his view, the progress made in the first decades of the existence of the EU has made Europe complacent, ignoring the pace of development in the US and Asia, as a result of which it is far behind its competitors today.

The analysis highlights that the national consultation once again proved that Brussels, along with the continental and domestic liberal-left, is not in conflict with the Hungarian government but rather with the Hungarian people.

With just over four months remaining until the European Parliament elections in June, no European political group has managed to present a real top candidate for the presidency of the European Commission, except for the European People’s Party. This raises the likelihood of 2024 marking the end of the Spitzenkandidat system.

Despite the attack on public media and the political imprisonment of former government members, the Polish government led by Donald Tusk could soon gain access to some of the EU funds that were frozen due to concerns about the rule of law.

According to press reports, BYD Auto Hungary has been registered with a capital of approximately HUF 192 billion, which is twice the annual budget of the city of Szeged, where the Chinese auto giant’s new plant is scheduled to begin production next year.

Emphasizing the need to resist ‘blackmail’, the resolution, approved by the vast majority of the MEPs, condemns the alleged ‘systematic efforts of the Hungarian government to undermine the EU’s founding values’. The resolution also highlights Hungary’s perceived violations of EU treaties, calling on the European Council to assess whether the country has committed ‘serious and persistent breaches of EU values.’

Debates about Hungary consistently bring to the forefront the Hungarophobic positions and opinions of the Left in the European Parliament. In the current session, left-wing MEPs targeted not only Viktor Orbán but also Ursula von der Leyen.

Leftist MEPs added a last-minute amendment to a resolution up for a vote on the European Parliament floor tomorrow in which they declare their intent to sue the European Commission for approving the release of €10.2 billion of the withheld cohesion funds to Hungary.

Minister of Agriculture István Nagy of Hungary shared that the countries of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania sent a letter to the European Commission, urging it to intervene and help mediate the effects of the mass quantities of cheap, low-quality grain from Ukraine entering the European market.