Will Brussels dictate the future of Europe, or can member states reclaim control? A high-profile panel at Tusványos, including Hungarian EU Affairs Minister János Bóka and Rod Dreher, criticized the EU’s centralization drive, arguing that the European Commission now holds more power than many national governments.
At Tusványos 2025, global thinkers from all around the world, from Lebanon, the UK, and Hungary, discussed the decline of liberalism and rise of post-liberal democracy. Speakers like Balázs Orbán, Lord Frost, and Philip Pilkington argued that Western liberalism failed to deliver its promises, while others stressed the need to protect traditional values.
Hungary has refused to comply with the EU’s migrant quota system, citing national security concerns and growing public dissatisfaction across Europe. György Bakondi warned that Brussels’s approach ignores the realities faced by member states.
‘Bilateral relations between the United States and Hungary have swiftly moved forward and considerably improved since Trump returned to office on 20 January 2025…This is consistent with Trump’s emerging second-term foreign policy, which prioritizes realist engagement with other countries based on shared interests.’
Hungary has issued its largest-ever sovereign bond in China, raising 5 billion renminbi on the domestic Chinese market. The deal drew strong investor demand and supports Hungary’s financial reserves amid global uncertainty.
‘Russian responsibility in this failure is becoming increasingly clear,’ said Zsolt Németh, referring to the failed peace talks in Ukraine during the opening of the 34th Bálványos Summer Free University. At the same event, State Secretary for National Policy Lőrinc Nacsa also delivered remarks, emphasizing that the Hungarian government stands for Hungarians both beyond and within its borders.
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD remains fully committed to its factory project in Szeged, Hungary, and has not altered its production plans, government commissioner István Joó confirmed in response to recent media speculation.
The 34th Bálványos Summer University and Student Camp, better known as Tusványos, begins Tuesday in Băile Tușnad with the slogan ’You Can Count on Us’, offering political debates, cultural events, and high-level speeches through Sunday.
Hungary will build a new oil pipeline with Serbia by 2027 to protect low household utility costs and ensure energy security, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced, sharply criticizing Brussels for undermining access to affordable energy.
‘If the government of Israel continues to cause the expense and bureaucratic harassment for the granting of routine visas that for decades have been routine, I will have no other choice than to instruct our consular section to review options for reciprocal treatment of Israeli citizens seeking visas to the United States.’
A surprise audit of the Hungarian government’s national gold reserves has been carried out by the Committee on Security and Defence in the National Assembly, Committee Chairman Lajos Kósa has revealed. Hungary’s gold reserves in total are 110.2 metric tonnes.
Hungarian police have arrested a 23-year-old Budapest man using the online alias ‘Hano’, suspected of launching coordinated cyberattacks that disrupted major Hungarian news portals and even targeted an international press watchdog.
Edwin Feulner co-founded the influential American conservative think tank Heritage Foundation in 1973, then served as its president for 36 years, between 1973 and 2013, and again for a year, between 2017 and 2018. He passed away on 18 July 2025.
The war in Ukraine is tragic—but it is not Hungary’s war. That was the central message of Balázs Orbán’s interview on CNN, where he criticized the EU for sacrificing stability in pursuit of what he described as an unwinnable proxy. He warned against deeper entanglement in a war that risks becoming Europe’s own—particularly if Ukraine is prematurely admitted into the EU.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will be coming to an end in May 2026, the American TV network CBS has announced. Colbert has been criticized by conservatives for being too partisan for a mainstream talk show ever since he took over David Letterman’s spot in 2015.
Over 130 Hungarian artists are protesting the inclusion of Northern Irish hip hop group Kneecap in the Sziget Festival’s line-up, citing the band’s support for the Islamist terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah. Signatories argue this goes beyond free expression and promotes hate, contradicting the festival’s core values.
A new study by the Madrid, Spain office of the Center for Fundamental Rights has revealed that the European Commission has funnelled €939.5 million to progressive activist civil groups in Central and South America over the last decade.
After opposition led by Hungary, the EU has softened its stance on Israel despite growing calls for sanctions and trade restrictions.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called Ukraine’s potential EU membership an irreversible burden, comparing it to migration, and criticized Brussels for redirecting EU funds without clear strategy—especially away from farmers and toward Kyiv.
Hungarian tech group 4iG has signed strategic agreements with leading UAE firms e& and Mubadala, and its space-defence arm 4iG SDT has partnered with EDGE Group to jointly develop high-tech defence and aerospace technologies.
MOHU has donated 230 million forints to three major Hungarian children’s hospitals, using funds from consumers who selected the charity option at bottle return machines. The initiative links sustainability with healthcare support.
Construction of Hungary’s 102-mile border fence with Serbia began ten years ago amid the 2015 European migrant crisis. Despite EU criticism and daily fines, the Hungarian government defends the barrier. Migrant clashes and trafficker violence followed. Since then, migration pressure has shifted from Hungary to Italy.
Hungary strongly opposes the EU’s seven-year budget proposal, which diverts funds from vital cohesion and agricultural subsidies to Ukraine. Gulyás Gergely warns the plan prioritizes Kyiv over Hungarian interests, vowing to block it unless revised. Meanwhile, Hungary prepares a new affordable housing loan scheme.
At an oversight hearing on misuse of federal funds in the US House of Representatives, Republican Congressman Brandon Gill of Texas asked why the Biden administration used American taxpayer dollars to fund the opposition against the democratically elected Prime Minister Orbán in Hungary.
Sophie Wilmés, the former Prime Minister of Belgium and current Vice President of the European Parliament, has stated that Slovakia may be on a path to become ‘the next Hungary’ while presenting the EP’s civil liberties committee report, according to news by POLITICO.
Former US Secretary of Labor Robert Reich has posted a video in which he accuses President Trump of fascism for trying to strip the American broadcasting companies PBS and NPR of public funding. That is despite the fact that the 20th-century authoritarian regimes he is comparing him to did the exact opposite, and invested heavily in public media, turning it into a state-run propaganda machine…
Hungary has completed its acquisition of Airbus H225M helicopters, finalizing a 16-aircraft fleet that boosts national defence, mobility, and international operability. Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky called it a leap from promise to reality.
The Council of Europe has raised alarm over widespread abuse by Ukrainian military recruiters. Days later, a Hungarian man allegedly died after violent conscription. With Brussels silent, Hungary is demanding answers—and questioning Ukraine’s readiness for EU membership.
‘The answer to the question posed in the title is “very important” in relation to these two neighbouring regions. This provides further reason to examine the situation regarding the participation of Türkiye and the Turkic States in EU programmes.’
Senior Fellow for the Center for Fundamental Rights Bryan Leib congratulated Tibor Kapu on X after the Hungarian astronaut safely returned home from space after 20 days. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó of Hungary also did the same.