The Hungarian National Bank (MNB) has announced it is cutting its base interest rate by 25 basis points, from 6.5 per cent to 6.25 per cent. This is the first rate cut by the central bank since September 2024. The positive shift in monetary policy was precipitated by a favourable monthly inflation report for January and strong performance of the national currency Forint on the foreign exchange markets.

German authorities have launched a criminal investigation against a pensioner in Heilbronn for calling Chancellor Friedrich Merz ‘Pinocchio’ on Facebook, invoking a controversial law on insulting politicians. The case has reignited concerns over free speech in Germany.

At the Danube Institute’s most recent event, MEP András László and a panel of experts have discussed how foreign aid agencies, such as the now-dismantled USAID, and ‘quasi-NGOs’ use foreign aid as a front to push a progressive agenda, as opposed to actually helping people in other nations.

Viktor Orbán pushed back against criticism from António Costa over Hungary’s refusal to back a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, calling the situation ‘absurd’ after Kyiv halted oil transit through Druzhba. Budapest maintains it will not support any Ukraine-related decisions until energy flows are restored.

Hungary’s government has signed an agreement enabling cooperation between Semmelweis University and Harvard University, supporting joint training in Budapest and Boston as part of a plan to elevate the Hungarian institution among the world’s leading medical schools.

As the Ukraine war drags into its fifth year, the question is no longer whether negotiations are happening, but whether they can deliver peace. Hungarian Conservative asked four experts to assess the conflict, revealing deep divisions over whether current diplomacy signals progress—or merely manages an entrenched stalemate.