According to Fidesz deputy group leader in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Zsolt Németh the future of conservatism in Europe is bright, as right-wingers on the continent are ‘coming closer together’; and that therefore the slogan of the Budapest seminar could rightly be ‘Conservatives of Europe, unite!’

About a week after the Committee on Budgetary Control officially rejected her renomination, the European Parliament reversed that decision and voted in favour of another six-year term for Gáll-Pelcz on the European Court of Auditors. However, on the same day, the EP also passed a resolution condemning Hungary.

György Hölvényi underscored the importance of exercising caution with the concept of Schengen and open borders. It represents an economic and political opportunity that can be mishandled, potentially signalling Europe’s disintegration if not properly managed. Ensuring proper protection of external borders is essential to avoid issues emerging with internal borders, he warned.

While officially, the conference’s main agenda point was the shadow rapporteurs on the current state of the rule of law in Hungary, more time was devoted to Hungary’s Council of the EU presidency set to happen in 2024, a concept none of the MEPs was thrilled about. The ongoing negotiations about releasing the frozen EU funds were often talked about as well.

‘We should not turn a blind eye to the EP representatives who seem to be out of line with their role. Repositioning the power of the EP is actually part of a wider phenomenon that tries to outsource political decision-making from the democratic frameworks of the Member States and thereby reduce the influence of voters on the fate of their own country.’

It can be clearly stated that over the past years, the current majority of the European Parliament has not shied away from using the tools provided to it by the treaties to assert its political will, and one of the results of its activism has been that the debate with the Commission on the rule of law in Hungary has shifted to a political-ideological level.

At his recent hearing in the EP, the Budget Commissioner stated that it is not true that the Commission is hindering negotiations with the Hungarian government over the rule of law concerns. The Commission is interested in finding a solution, but it must be a solution that serves the interests of Hungarian citizens, Hahn said.

According to the minister, representatives presented the delegation with the regulations and fundamental aspects of the spending of EU funds, followed by questions from the committee members. However, Navracsics noted that it was apparent the delegation had not read the background materials sent to them in advance for more detailed information. Also, in some cases, the opinion of certain representatives was heavily influenced by political biases, resulting in occasional factual errors during their questioning.

The Hungary Helps Programme, however, does not only help persecuted Christians, but provides effective support in crisis areas and areas that are hit by man-made or natural disasters as well. Since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, Hungary has provided 130 billion forints (335.6 million euros) in aid to the victims of the war in Ukraine. Hungary also sent ten tons of relief supplies to Turkey immediately after the deadly earthquakes on 6 February and 50 million forints (132,000 euros) to Syria.

Hungary’s commitments under the new rule of law framework should serve as a model for the whole EU, states State Secretary János Bóka. An interview about the so-called rule of law debate, the growing political pressure of the European Parliament and the Hungarian Child Protection Act.

Balázs Hidvéghi spoke up at a session of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), calling on the European Left to stop its incessant attacks on Poland.

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 pro-peace stance of Hungarians remains unchanged and the majority reject proposals that carry the risk of making peace impossible,’ Századvég wrote in an analysis of the responses to their recent poll.

The European Parliament has approved new legislation that sets the path towards zero CO2 emissions for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles by 2035.

Antifa, a radical, violent left-wing movement that traces its origins back to the 1930s, has been responsible for a number of brutal attacks on conservatives, liberals and freethinkers both in the United States and in Europe. Until now, Hungary has been a mostly Antifa-free zone.

The only potential uncertainty factor in the automatism of the waiver of immunity is the case of politically motivated procedures, the so-called fumus persecutionis, which, however, may easily arise in the future in the immunity procedures related to the Qatargate scandal as the case becomes more complicated.

During the European Council summit on Thursday, EU leaders welcomed the Ukrainian president to Brussels, showing support for the West’s ally as Ukraine gets ready for an anticipated Russian offensive.

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 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.

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.

Nézőpont Intézet measured a 56 per cent Fidesz support among likely voters if the European Parliamentary elections were held this Sunday.

‘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 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.

Autocracy is not only about a set of institutions—it is also about how people live their lives in a political sytem. As opposed to what the misguided vote in the European Parliament that classified Hungary as an ‘autocracy’ insinuates, Hungarians live freely, which is a testimony to the fact that Hungary is a democracy.

The European Parliament denied the decree that would have deemed both nuclear energy and crude-oil as unsustainable sources.

In the last decade, both Poland and Hungary have been actively formulating European policy; however, this duo is not strong enough without the active support of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is also a warning sign that the loudest criticisms of Hungary and Poland can often be heard from inside the V4.