Penalties related to Hungary’s dispute with the European Commission over migration policy exceeded €500 million by mid-April. Following a verdict by the European Court of Justice, Hungary is obliged to pay €1 million per day—among other fines—until it implements legislation in compliance with EU law.
Center for Fundamental Rights Fellow Bryan Leib has recently given an interview to the Hungarian public television, in which he urged the Hungarian government to keep fighting the bureaucracy in Brussles, since ‘this big governmental body in Brussels is telling Viktor Orbán and the Hungarian people how to live their lives, what to spend their money on, and to accept migrants—it’s absurd!’
Interpol has refused to issue a red notice for former Polish Deputy Minister of Justice Marcin Romanowski, who is currently residing in Hungary after being granted political asylum in December 2024. The decision signals that the organization may view the prosecution against Romanowski as politically motivated.
Former New York Young Republican Club president and CPAC Hungary 2024 speaker Gavin Wax has been appointed as Chief of Staff to FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington in the US. Center for Fundamental Rights Director General Miklós Szánthó congratulated him on his new position in a Facebook post.
Dániel Böde, who currently plays for Paks, played his 500th game in the first division of the Hungarian football league against Puskás Akadémia on Saturday. He also scored his 160th career league goal in the match.
‘Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, held a joint press conference in Budapest in the middle of April…The negotiations between the two ministers ended with agreements on strengthening trade, investment, research, innovation and energy cooperation between the two countries.’
‘Emerged from a near-fatal shooting, exasperated with liberal anti-democratic excesses, and emboldened by a new sheriff in Washington, Fico and allies have brought their battle against NGOs to parliament.’
US President Donald Trump was among the first world leaders to announce that he will attend the funeral of the late Pope Francis on Saturday. Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, will not be present, and despite his close relationship with the pontiff, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will also skip the ceremony.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán discussed the risks posed by Ukraine’s EU membership to Europe with President of the Austrian National Council Walter Rosenkranz during their meeting in Budapest. During his visit, Rosenkranz also met with Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly László Kövér, highlighting the close ties between the two countries’ legislatures.
Pope Francis died on 21 April, Easter Monday, following a worsening condition due to serious respiratory illnesses in recent years. As the sede vacante period begins, the College of Cardinals is set to elect his successor, with Cardinal Péter Erdő reportedly among the possible candidates.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary has recently given an interview to local journalist András Hont, in which he expressed his view that US President Donald Trump’s ‘tariff wars’ will end in his regaining tariff deals with other countries, and even gave an estimation on when those will be finalized.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a temporary ceasefire in the war in Ukraine on 19 April, halting hostilities from 6 pm on Saturday until midnight on Monday. The move—met with scepticism in Kyiv—came as US President Donald Trump expressed frustration with stalled peace talks and signalled that Washington could walk away from mediating between Kyiv and Moscow.
Just two days after calling for the criminalisation of disinformation, Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar posted a manipulated video of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, attempting to smear him over his stance on Ukraine’s EU membership. It is yet another example of Magyar’s troubled relationship with the truth—one that has surfaced repeatedly, despite his still-nascent political career.
Hungarian oil and gas company MOL has discovered three new natural gas fields in Pakistan’s Tal Block, setting the stage for expanded energy cooperation. The finding marks a key moment in growing Hungarian–Pakistani economic relations.
‘The normalization of the targeting of Israel leads to the normalization of the targeting of Jews,’ State Secretary Péter Sztáray warned during a commemoration held on Holocaust Memorial Day. Between 1941 and 1945, approximately 564,000 Hungarian Jews were murdered by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, representing more than two-thirds of the country’s Jewish community at the time.
Crime in Hungary has fallen by nearly 60 per cent since 2010, according to the Ministry of Interior. Speaking on Crime Prevention Day, officials highlighted expanded police forces, youth programmes, and a nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking as key factors.
SAAB will open an aviation development centre in Budapest, allowing Hungarian engineers to take part in high-tech fighter jet research and development. The move strengthens Hungary’s role in European air defence and its position in the aerospace industry.
Hungary’s media authority (NMHH) has raised concerns about the credibility of Freedom House’s Freedom in the World report, criticizing its opaque authorship, vague sourcing, and narrow scoring system used to assess global press freedom.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that he will travel to Moscow to attend Russia’s Victory Day parade, defying a warning from the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. Fico criticized the former Estonian prime minister’s statement, asserting that Slovakia is a sovereign country and will make decisions accordingly.
A new 30-kilometre section of Hungary’s M44 expressway, linking the M5 motorway to Szentkirály, has officially opened. The development allows uninterrupted four-lane travel from Kecskemét to Békéscsaba, symbolizing a major step in regional connectivity.
Antal Rogán, Chief of Staff to the Hungarian Prime Minister, has been removed from the US sanctions list, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced. The senior government official had been placed under Magnitsky sanctions in January—a move widely regarded as the revenge of former US Ambassador David Pressman.
‘Starmer’s failure while in Opposition to defend women’s rights will, I think, be seen by future historians as the beginning of a sea change in British political life.’
Governor Josh Shapiro’s gubernatorial mansion was burned down on Sunday, 13 April in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as the Jewish statesman was celebrating passover with his friends and family. Suspect Cody Balmer has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident, an out-of-work welder with serious financial problems.
Ukraine’s accelerated EU accession could consume essential resources and undermine Hungary’s strategic position, warned Political Director to the Prime Minister Balázs Orbán, who outlined the financial, geopolitical, and security risks at a Budapest business conference.
During a game between FC DAC 1904 and Slovan Bratislava in the Slovakian football league, the home Slovan fans held up a disparaging banner which referred to Hungary as ‘Mongolia’, along with the message ‘Slovakia is the country of Slovakians and Slovan-fans’. The Dunaszerdahely club has filed an official complaint with the Slovak Football Association (SFZ).
Hungary’s Parliament passed the 15th amendment to the Constitution, reinforcing traditional gender definitions, enshrining the right to pay with cash, and tightening rules on dual citizenship and government powers in emergencies.
In a historic first, Hungary’s defence minister visited Uzbekistan to sign a new agreement marking the start of deeper military cooperation. The visit underscores Hungary’s interest in regional stability and stronger ties in Central Asia.
‘The families give our economy its strength,’ Minister of Culture and Innovation Balázs Hankó has told the press at a joint press conference with Mária Kopp Institute for Demography and Families (KINCS) President Tünde Fűrész. Minister Hankó highlighted the specific measures and amount of funding of the Hungarian government’s family support policies; as well as what they have achieved thus far.
‘While already several rounds of negotiations took place between Washington, Kyiv and Moscow, no agreement has yet been reached on a ceasefire. With the Trump administration’s frustration growing with Moscow, Zelenskyy also accused the Kremlin of prolonging the war.’
Hungarian research astronaut Tibor Kapu and his backup, Gyula Cserényi, have successfully completed NASA’s astronaut training, marking a significant step forward for Hungary’s HUNOR programme and their upcoming mission to the International Space Station.