The two-day parliamentary group meeting of Fidesz–KDNP began with a speech by Viktor Orbán on Wednesday. The gathering holds particular significance, given that the selection of the candidate for the head of state is on the agenda.
The first V4 summit of the year is scheduled for 27 February, with a focus on illegal migration, energy security, and the EU’s strategic objectives. After the estrangement caused by the war in Ukraine, cooperation seems to be back on track, but its future will largely depend on the willingness and ability of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to collaborate.
The protracting NATO accession process of Sweden seems to be reaching its conclusion, following the announcement of support for ratification by Fidesz parliamentary group leader Máté Kocsis.
A bipartisan US Senate delegation visited Budapest over the weekend to exert pressure on the Hungarian parliament to advance the ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership. The senators also held consultations with opposition politicians and NGO representatives, and are planning to propose a resolution condemning Hungary.
On Saturday, 17 February, Viktor Orbán delivered his 25th State of the Nation address, which was centred around topics such as the scandal surrounding President Katalin Novák, the reinforcement of the child protection system, Hungary’s relationship with the European Union, and the forthcoming EU and US elections.
On Saturday, 17 February, Viktor Orbán will deliver his 25th annual State of the Nation Address. This year’s speech holds particular significance as the European Parliament elections draw near.
According to a recent analysis by the Oeconomus Economic Research Foundation, Hungary leads the EU in terms of marriage rate. The government’s family support system and targeted measures play a significant role in this achievement.
The Hungarian women’s water polo team secured a 13–11 victory over Greece in the semi-finals of the Doha World Championships on Wednesday, 14 February. They will face the Olympic champion United States in the final.
According to recently released data, the Hungarian economy has surpassed the EU average in 2023, and is poised to be among the leading countries in 2024 as well.
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.
According to a recent survey, Europeans express greater apprehension towards migration and radical Islamist terrorism than towards the threat posed by Russia. The findings of the poll suggest a significant disconnect between the issues European elites focus on and the genuine concerns of the general populace.
Fears of a potential second presidential term of Donald Trump have allegedly prompted NATO to devise a plan to assume the coordination of arms deliveries to Ukraine, replacing the United States.
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.
Katalin Novák and Judit Varga have resigned in the wake of the scandal surrounding the presidential pardon. Such accountability would be deemed unthinkable on the left, where politicians continue to evade responsibility.
László Dudog, one of the most severely injured victims of the far-left attacks in Budapest last February, granted an exclusive interview to Italian media. The article has the potential to provide Italian readers with a more accurate portrayal of the events, prompting them to reconsider the misrepresented image of 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.
Left-wing MEPs led by Guy Verhofstadt want to impose sanctions on Tucker Carlson for interviewing Vladimir Putin. The crackdown on the former Fox News anchor is a perfect illustration of the double standards set by Brussels concerning freedom of expression and freedom of the press, which is often applied to Hungary as well.
Brussels recently unveiled its climate target, adjusted in the wake of the farmer protests. However, the ambitious plan is still founded on a flawed approach: the EU is prioritizing mitigation over adaptation, imposing a greater financial burden on member states than what is truly necessary.
The investigation into the Brussels corruption scandal, which has been ongoing for more than a year with left-wing MEPs at its centre, could be jeopardized, as revealed by a recently released audio recording.
Generation Z women and men are becoming increasingly different in terms of political preferences. The continuation of this global trend, in which LGBTQ and gender ideology plays a significant role, could have serious consequences.
Viktor Orbán has lifted his veto on €50 billion in financial aid for Ukraine, relying on the guarantees provided by EU leaders.
Similarly to the EU leadership, the Hungarian left tends to concentrate on issues of little concern for the people, and ignores the concerns of rural communities and farmers.
Tensions are escalating between the political and military leadership in Ukraine, as press reports indicate that Volodymyr Zelenskyy attempted to dismiss Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny. The Ukrainian president’s room for manoeuvre seems to be diminishing, and he needs his European allies now more than ever to survive.
The ongoing demonstrations against the AfD will not have a lasting impact on the party’s support, and consequently, will not negatively influence the upcoming EP elections in the summer, Maximilian Krah told Hungarian Conservative.
Brussels is allegedly considering economic retaliation against Hungary should Viktor Orbán vetoe further funding for Ukraine, as indicated by a leaked document. However, the conflicting statements surrounding the purported plan suggest only one thing: there is chaos in Brussels, with EU funds having long been viewed as a tool for political blackmail.
With Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressing a desire to negotiate with two pro-peace leaders on the right, Donald Trump and Viktor Orbán, it appears that the Ukrainian president is anticipating a potentially unfavourable scenario for Ukraine: a right-wing shift in both Europe and overseas.
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.
‘We are nobody’s orderly,’ Hungarian House Speaker László Kövér stated in an interview with Index, addressing the question of the Hungarian ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession.
All indications suggest that Viktor Orbán and Volodymyr Zelenskyy may soon be sitting down at the negotiating table. The parties have a multitude of contentious issues to discuss, beginning with the rights of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia.
The Turkish parliament approved Sweden’s application for NATO membership on Tuesday, leaving only the Hungarian ratification to stand in the way of the Nordic country’s full membership.
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.