Following the results of the 2022 parliamentary election, the American NGO Freedom House decided to downgrade Hungary’s controversial ‘democracy index’ from last year’s report. Meanwhile, Poland’s and Ukraine’s have been increased.

The concept of the ‘Bulwark of Christendom’ appeared in all border areas where two civilisations and religions came into contact. However, the conscious and regular use of the term is linked to the Italian humanists of the 15th-century Renaissance, who greatly contributed to the formation of the modern image of Europe.

The leaders of five EU member states, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania, requested in mid-April that the European Commission take action on Ukrainian grain entering Europe duty-free and causing harm to local farmers.

Netanyahu must not retreat any further, as abandoning his right-wing agenda would threaten the stability of the coalition. Judicial reform in Israel is in fact the last salvation of Israeli democracy, of the rule of the people. Kim Lane Scheppele probably understands this very well—hence her recent attacks on Israel.

Four Central European countries, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria, have announced bans on foodstuff imports coming from Ukraine. Meanwhile, Romania has joined them in demanding action from the EU to address these concerns. The five countries are estimated to have lost 417 million EUR combined due to cheap Ukrainian food imports.

For over a thousand years, Hungarians and Rusyns have lived peacefully together. This shared history offers important lesson of cooperation and mutual respect.

Hungary will not allow a slew of agricultural products to be imported from Ukraine until 30 June. A spokesperson of the European Commission called the actions of the Central European countries ‘not acceptable’.

Bucharest would also deepen its defence cooperation with Washington, and not exclusively through arms purchases. Meanwhile, Romania and Poland, the two largest countries in the Central and Eastern European region, are building the two most powerful militaries, with a strong emphasis on interoperability between their armed forces.

‘We cannot look at the European Union as those who must be listened to and must always have the best solutions in a suitcase to Bucharest or Warsaw,’ Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki stressed in Bucharest.

The minister emphasised that the current situation is lethal for Europe’s competitiveness, with gas prices seven times higher than in the United States and electricity three times higher than in China. ‘Under the current circumstances, the solution is to focus on the supply side instead of the demand and bring as much gas to the European market as possible,’ he nailed down.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán emphasised that Budapest and Warsaw will join forces to protect the agricultural workers of Central Europe from the negative effects of ‘grain dumps’ coming from Ukraine.

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.

Warsaw eagerly supported the USG commitment to increase American military presence in the region right from the start, as the country has been pushing for a stronger stance on Russia for years. With the additional 1,700 US troops that Poland welcomed this year, now there are 10, 000 American soldiers stationed in the country.

Demonstrating that the bond between the two states is more than just political declarations or self-interested cooperation, Hungary is marking the Day of Hungarian–Polish friendship with a series of cultural events across the country.

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.

Snubbing Hungary is a telltale sign that Czech President Petr Pavel has issues with the Hungarian government as well as with the V4 cooperation.

The Prime Minister said that the rebuilding of Russian-European economic relations after the war would be desirable, but it is unlikely to happen any time soon.

The Orbán administration has committed to spending at least two per cent of the country’s GDP on defence by the end of 2024, a commitment made in 2014 by all NATO members but something many NATO countries have not yet honoured. Hungary, in fact, is set to achieve the two per cent threshold by the end of this year, before the deadline.

Keeping the memory of St Ladislaus alive is a common cause. As the organisers of the erection of the equestrian statue of the Holy King said in response to critical comments: ‘The legacy of St Ladislaus is above all the courageous admission of the Christian faith, which is a universal value and part of our European identity.’

Ukraine’s hunger for ammunition is almost impossible to meet, while NATO is running low on stocks. Hungary, meanwhile, is strengthening its own military.

More and more French choose to emigrate to Central-Eastern European countries because they perceive them as safe and offering a better quality of life, according to a study by the Elabe Institute.

The investigation of communist crimes and the bringing of perpetrators to justice may give closure to the families of the victims. Some argue, however, that tearing up old wounds may make it more difficult for post-Communist societies to move past old grievances.

Rodrigo Ballester of MCC Budapest warns that we should expect even stronger pressure on gender issues from the EU in the near future. This case underscores the importance of paying close attention to the fine print of EU contracts, as seemingly minor details can have significant impacts on the allocation of funds.

Gergely Gulyás spoke at a conference organised by the Mathias Corvinus Collegium and stated that Hungary’s dependence on the EU is not due to its 1.4 per cent contribution to the Hungarian GDP, but rather because Hungary is a part of a unified Europe and Schengen area, and the common market is essential for Hungary’s economy.

Ambassadors Varga-Haszonits and Fałkowski were the only diplomats to be present at the Tehran event with President Raisi. Despite that, other European nations also refrain from fully committing to cutting ties with the Middle Eastern nation.

‘A major theme of the classical law is that the law should be stable over time and protect traditional expectations about how human life is arranged and how society is conducted. Liberalism by contrast is a doctrine of perpetual disruption and instability, constantly trying to find new frontiers by which traditional societies, and traditional morality can be disrupted.’

Up to 40 countries could boycott the Paris Olympics unless Russian and Belarusian athletes are completely banned. The calls for a ban disregard the premise that no one should be discriminated against based on their citizenship.

‘Central Europe is a natural corridor between the two superpowers, forming a buffer zone. In the last thirty years, it seemed that the leading politicians of the countries in this region clearly saw and understood what they could and could not do.’

PiS General Secretary Krzysztof Sobolewski warned that if ‘the Commission tries to push us against the wall…we have no choice but to pull out all the weapons in our arsenal and respond…eye for an eye’, including by wielding the right to veto EU policies.

According to press reports, Poland officially objected to Hungary’s request on Wednesday to remove nine names from the list of Russian individuals to be sanctioned.