According to Portuguese writer, political scientist and university professor Jaime Nogueira Pinto right-wing parties like CHEGA, called populists by the mainstream media, are successful with voters across Europe because traditional parties do not pay enough attention to the issues that are actually important to voters.

‘The protection of human life, the protection of the family, or the protection of the sort of education that characterized Europe are basic values ​​that we should definitely stick to because otherwise we are not Europeans,’ Professor Ferenc Hörcher, Director of the Research Institute of Politics and Government at Ludovika University of Public Service told Hungarian Conservative in a recent interview.

‘I am convinced that the current leadership in Brussels does not take into account the opinion or expectations of the majority of European people, and we even see that they represent non-European interests in Brussels on key issues, such as illegal migration, the war in Ukraine or the EU’s competitiveness,’ Hungarian Member of the European Parliament Balázs Hidvéghi stated in an interview with Hungarian Conservative.

The Free Market Road Show was held in Budapest for the ninth time. At the ceremonial opening of the event, John O’Sullivan, president of the Danube Institute, presented the condensed Hungarian version of world-famous economist Friedrich A. Hayek’s (1899–1992) book The Road to Serfdom. On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the publication of the Nobel Prize-winning economist’s work, the Danube Institute, under the auspices of the Austrian Economics Center, published the booklet in Hungarian with the aim of making Hayek’s most important teachings easily accessible to Hungarian students.

‘The average Ukrainian soldier is about 45 years old; a lot of men have left the country; and Ukraine has become a country of widows. A disproportionate number of men have died in recent years. And since we don’t plan to send troops, how do we solve the ‘‘manpower’’ problem?’

‘Viktor Orbán showed us that an alternative to the leftist, open-border government is not only possible but can be highly successful and popular amongst the people. That’s inspiring. However, for it to be a true success, the seeds planted by Hungary in the rest of Europe have to sprout as well. And that is not the responsibility of Viktor Orbán or the Hungarians, but of right-wing politicians in other countries.’

‘I wish there were more Hungary in the European Union. if centre-right and conservative parties win elections all over Europe and come into government, then there will be a chance to change something in Europe. You can’t change anything in Brussels. Brussels is unchangeable.’ 

‘Hungary has the ability to initiate some proposals to its neighbours regarding what steps to take to reduce the harmful effects of the war. The region needs to agree on what the long-term interests of its countries in the region are in the shadow of the war in Ukraine,’ China’s foremost political scientist holds.

‘People in Europe want change, and they will certainly voice this in the elections, which will result in a shift in the political balance of the European Parliament. However, I don’t think this is a revolutionary change. It will hardly change the balance of power in the board too much, but there is at least a chance that the atmosphere will change. We’ll see where all this could lead us.’

‘I am a qualified admirer of what has been done in Hungary over the last decade and a half. We can learn a lot from the fairly uncompromising attitude of the Hungarian government on issues such as state authority and the nation. I would also mention the handling of migration and the fact that the Hungarian government just didn’t care what others think in this matter: they just focused on protecting their borders.’

‘I was outraged to learn that the Erasmus opportunity is being denied to Hungarian students and researchers. As a former Erasmus student, this particularly upsets me. In the meantime, it turns out that the EU has awarded funds of almost two million euros to the Islamic University of Gaza, which is connected to the terrorist organization Hamas. This is absolutely insane,’ philosopher and political scientist Leonardo Orlando told Hungarian Conservative.

‘The public mood has been turbulent since 2021. From a campaign perspective, it’s astonishing the current administration is actually trying to prosecute the main political rival of the sitting president. They’re doing that while also implementing policies that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of people flooding over the border illegally each month and doubling or tripling the cost of food and fuel. People see and feel all of this, and they’re frustrated. As a result, they’re going to vote for change and I expect Conservatives will see success in 2024,’ Troup Hemenway, Heritage Foundation senior consultant and one of the leaders of Project 2025 Troup Hemenway opines.

Orthodoxy is the second largest form of Christianity in the world, with some 200 million believers, Dr Noble highlighted in our interview, reminding that of the nine recognized candidate countries for membership of the EU, there six countries with an Orthodox majority.

According to Italian press reports, on the margins of the latest EU summit Viktor Orbán indicated that Fidesz is ready to join the ECR after the elections. The move would significantly swell the ranks of the ECR, considering that Fidesz is projected to win 14 seats (of Hungary’s 21), sending quite a sizable delegation to the European Parliament.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has confirmed in several forums and personally to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that Hungary supports Sweden’s NATO accession. At the same time, the Hungarian ruling party also made it clear that the Swedish ratification of NATO may take place early in the regular parliamentary session, but this would first require a meeting between the two prime ministers in Budapest.

An interview with US geopolitical analyst and Visiting Fellow at the Danube Institute Carlos Roa on the challenges of the EU, keystone states, the dangers of decoupling, and the ideological reading of the Russo–Ukrainian war.

As tensions continue to grow in the wake of farmer demonstrations, agriculture is set to become a major issue across the EU ahead of the European Parliament elections in June, when the political right is expected to make significant strides toward a majority in the EP.

Reflecting on the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting this week, the left-leaning news portal decided to make an explicit statement about their perceived—and desired—reality by creating a ranking of the ‘do-gooders’ and the ‘dirty dozen’ of the world leaders gathered in Davos—and, of course, a Hungarian politician just had to be included in the selection.

During their meeting in Budapest on Tuesday, the leaders of Hungary and Slovakia agreed on the need to rework a European Union plan to provide financial assistance to Ukraine.