Ursula von der Leyen claims only voters decide a nation’s leaders—yet recent EU actions tell a very different story. From Romania’s annulled election to Germany’s institutional crackdown on AfD and France’s judicial assault on Marine Le Pen, the Union shows an increasingly authoritarian instinct that undermines democratic choice.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accused Brussels of ‘systematically raping European law’ after the Commission triggered an emergency clause to indefinitely freeze Russian assets—bypassing unanimity and clearing the way ahead of its controversial Ukraine reparations loan.

Western media spent the week circulating baseless claims about Hungary, from a fake ‘longer’ US security strategy urging EU exit to Bloomberg’s allegation that Viktor Orbán plans to replace parliamentary democracy. The narratives appear designed to damage the government ahead of 2026.

At a joint event organized by MCC and Mandiner, Former President of Hungary János Áder introduced his new book summarizing a decade in office through interviews that revisit constitutional dilemmas, national commemorations and private memories—from the Auschwitz memorial to the Trianon centenary speech and encounters with Hungarian communities abroad.

Viktor Orbán praised Donald Trump’s new National Security Strategy as ‘the most important and interesting’ document of recent years, saying it finally recognizes the civilizational crisis Europe faces. The Hungarian prime minister wrote that America now sees the decline Hungary has been fighting against for 15 years.

The 2026 National Secondary School Ranking—compiled by Mathias Corvinus Collegium and the Education Office—has been released, assessing more than 400 institutions nationwide. This year’s expanded edition introduces new indicators, including a pedagogical value-added index and a school health and sports ranking.

A major new survey shows Europeans overwhelmingly agree with Donald Trump’s claim that their leaders are ‘weak’, with voters in Germany, France and the UK rating the US president as far stronger and more decisive than their own heads of government—undercutting Brussels’ furious response to Trump’s remarks.

POLITICO Brussels reports that Belgium may soon be treated like Hungary—isolated, ignored and punished—simply for refusing Ursula von der Leyen’s EUR 165 billion Ukraine loan scheme. The message is unmistakable: in today’s EU, disagreement is no longer tolerated, and the system is shifting toward open coercion.

Central Asia’s growing role in global critical-mineral supply chains was discussed at the launch of the Danube Institute’s Turkic–Western Engagement Initiative, where experts highlighted the Middle Corridor’s rise, China’s tightening grip on strategic resources, and Hungary’s opportunity to shape Western engagement.

The EU has spent the past decade dismissing Hungary’s warnings about migration and sovereignty. Now Washington under Trump is sounding the same alarm, urging Europe to stop its downward spiral—but Brussels responds with indignation instead of introspection, accelerating its decline.

MCC held its eighth Carpathian Basin Education Conference under the theme The Key Figure of the Future: the Teacher, examining the transformation of education and marking ten years of the Young Talent Programme, now one of the institution’s flagship initiatives.

The Danube Institute launched its new Turkic Western Engagement Initiative (TWEI) in Budapest on Tuesday with a high-profile conference exploring how the West and the Turkic world can deepen cooperation amid growing geopolitical volatility, with particular emphasis on Hungary’s strategic bridging role.

Türkiye and Hungary elevated their relations to an enhanced strategic partnership on Monday, as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met in Istanbul. The leaders highlighted deepening cooperation in trade, defence, transport and culture, setting a new framework for long-term collaboration.

Hungary ranks among the top ten most competitive tax systems in the OECD, according to the 2025 International Tax Competitiveness Index. Scoring 78.7 points, Hungary placed ninth overall, performing especially strongly in corporate and individual taxation, reinforcing its appeal to international investors.

The European Commission’s decision to fine X €120 million under the DSA has ignited the sharpest transatlantic clash since Trump returned to power. Musk called the penalty ‘bullsh*t’, while senior US officials warned the EU is undermining free speech and straining the foundations of the alliance.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán warned that the 2026 parliamentary election will be the last before Hungary could face a direct threat of war, arguing that only a national government can keep the country out of a conflict he says is approaching Europe. He claimed Brussels is preparing the EU for confrontation with Russia and shifting towards a war economy.

The Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy warns that Europe is on a path toward ‘civilizational erasure’, urging EU governments to reverse course on mass migration and reclaim national sovereignty. The document explicitly backs Europe’s patriotic forces, signalling a coordinated push to reshape EU politics.

American Eagle’s stock has surged after the retailer sharply raised its holiday sales forecast, boosted by strong consumer demand and continued buzz around its viral Sydney Sweeney campaign—an advert that sparked progressive outrage in July but has since become one of the brand’s biggest commercial successes.

US Vice President JD Vance blasted Brussels for targeting Elon Musk’s X platform, urging the EU to defend free speech instead of ‘attacking American companies over garbage’. His remarks follow reports that the European Commission is preparing a major DSA fine against X—just as tensions with Washington escalate over Ukraine and trade.

For years, Brussels’s progressive mainstream has painted Viktor Orbán as the EU’s so-called ‘Russian asset’. But now Belgium’s own prime minister, Bart de Wever, is being given the same label—simply for rejecting a reckless plan to use frozen Russian assets as collateral for a EUR 140 billion Ukraine loan.

The European Parliament scrapped a planned delegation to Kyiv after Ukrainian authorities said they would not allow AfD MEP Hans Neuhoff to enter the country. Kyiv’s refusal—labelled ‘security-related’—halted the mission and raised questions about Ukraine’s treatment of EU lawmakers.

Hungarian forint hit its best level since December 2023 on Wednesday, strengthening to HUF 380.2 per euro. Markets continue to reward the Hungarian Central Bank’s disciplined approach and the Trump–Orbán currency-swap deal, which signalled that the forint is well-protected from external shocks.

Nearly three years after Qatargate, Brussels is rocked by another major scandal: Belgian authorities have detained former EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini and top diplomat Stefano Sannino in a fraud probe involving the EU’s diplomatic academy. The probe is already fuelling calls for accountability at the highest levels of the Commission.

Elon Musk has praised Viktor Orbán’s hard line on migration by sharing a viral clip in which the prime minister warns that progressive elites seek to reshape Europe demographically. As US conservatives rallied behind Orbán, Donald Trump reportedly intensified pressure on EU governments to abandon pro-migration policies and confront the crisis honestly.

Hungary has become a net contributor to the European Union for the first time since its 2004 accession, as frozen EU funds continue to distort the financial balance. With Budapest paying more into the common budget than it receives, the economic impact of the European Commission’s political blackmail campaign is increasingly visible ahead of the 2026 election.

After the shocking murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska by a career criminal repeatedly released under soft-on-crime policies, North Carolina has introduced sweeping reforms. Iryna’s Law reinstates the death penalty, curbs cashless bail and forces tighter judicial oversight—signalling a major political break with the progressive approach.

Hungary’s first Connectivity Awards were presented on Thursday at a gala in Budapest’s Haris Park, marking the launch of the Asia–Europe Political Forum. Speakers highlighted that in a rapidly shifting global order, Hungary seeks to become one of the winners by promoting Eurasian cooperation based on mutual benefit and national sovereignty.

Antifa mobs clashed with police in Giessen while attempting to disrupt the founding congress of AfD’s new youth organization, Generation Deutschland. With over 25,000 protesters blocking roads, violence escalated as masked agitators threw stones and bottles at authorities, and assaulted journalists and politicians, prompting a massive police response.

Nearly three years after the Nord Stream explosions, a new Századvég survey shows that 63 per cent of Europeans remain troubled by the absence of any identified perpetrator. The unresolved case has fuelled political tensions across the EU, deepening divisions over who was responsible and reinforcing concerns about Europe’s inability to defend its own critical infrastructure.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met in the Kremlin on Friday for their 14th bilateral talks, focusing on energy security, the war in Ukraine and future relations. Orbán reaffirmed that Hungary’s energy supply will continue to rely on Russian deliveries and said Budapest remains ready to host eventual peace talks.