The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought was established in 1988 and is awarded annually by the European Parliament. It is primarily given to individuals or organizations who have made outstanding efforts in the defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The prize is named after Soviet physicist, dissident, and political exile Andrei Sakharov. Thirty-four years ago the first recipient was Nelson Mandela.
While in Budapest, Matteo Salvini also met with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary on Friday. Salvini is currently serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport of Italy. He is the leader of the Lega party, which joined Fidesz’s new group Patriots for Europe in the European Parliament earlier this year.
Deputy Chairman of Mi Hazánk party Előd Novák accuses Hungarian BAC Consulting of aiding and abetting a terrorist act for supposedly manufacturing the pagers that exploded in the hands of Hezbollah operatives. Apart from being based on information debunked by the Hungarian government, Novák’s allegation regurgitates leftist anti-Israel narratives.
Earlier this week several hundred members of Hezbollah were reportedly severely injured in a mysterious series of explosions in Lebanon when bombs hidden inside pagers detonated. The manufacturing of the devices was initially linked to a Hungarian company. It has since been revealed that the company is only Hungarian on paper, and it does not have a manufacturing plant in the country. In fact, the pagers have never been within Hungary’s borders.
Press reports indicated that the pagers were manufactured by a Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo. CEO of Gold Apollo Hsu Ching-kuang held a press conference on the matter, where he announced that the AR-924 pagers ordered by Hezbollah were manufactured under licence by a Budapest-based company called BAC Consulting Ltd. Gold Apollo has not presented the specific agreement made with BAC Consulting.
Following the keynote speech by Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie, Retired Brigadier General in the US Army Antony J Tata, Director of the Baltic Security Foundation Otto Tabuns, Programme Director and co-founder of the Swedish think tank Oikos Arvid Hallén, President of the information warfare firm WorldStrat Jim Hanson, and Hungarian Ambassador to NATO István Balogh shared their views about the future of the military alliance.
Prime Minister Orbán briefed the press on the status of flood defence in Hungary on Wednesday. He shared that intense defence efforts are ongoing at twelve key locations along the Mosonmagyaróvár section of the Danube and Leitha rivers, as well as in Budapest and several settlements at the Danube Bend.
The first panel discussion of the second day analysed warfare and its moral implications, and how policymakers, global powers and ordinary people react to the war in Ukraine and to the Israel–Hamas conflict.
Professor Frank Füredi explained that he is concerned about how cultural issues and conflicts are able to influence geopolitical and military issues in the world in his opening keynote speech at the Danube Institute Geopolitical Summit.
Distinguished experts gathered at the fourth Danube Institute Geopolitical Summit to talk about the consequences of the green energy transition many leftist politicians are pushing for. Then, Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott of Australia; Ambassador Péter Sztáray, State Secretary for Security Policy and Energy Security of Hungary; and Former US Secretary of Veteran Affairs Robert Wilkie took the floor for closing remarks.
During the third panel of the conference some of the renowned experts held that the future will be about a multipolar world the axis of which are non-Western countries, particularly China, while others argued that the 21st century is still American, with the United States remaining the central and most powerful actor.
Prof. S. John Tsagronis, László Jónás, Jeffrey Hoffman, Nathan Levine, and moderator Michelle Watson gathered for a panel discussion at the Danube Institute-Heritage Foundation Geopolitical Summit on how private companies can and should cooperate with national governments that best serve both national and business interests.
The first panel discussion of the Geopolitical Summit discussed several aspects of democracy, and how conservatism fits into it in the ‘changing world order’. The panellists agreed that Western liberal elites have in many ways hijacked democracy.
In his keynote speech at the fourth Danube Institute – The Heritage Foundation Geopolitical Summit, Political Director for the Prime Minister of Hungary Balázs Orbán talked about how the current liberal world order is changing, and conservatives now have the chance to not be the ‘losers’ of the new world order. He also stressed the importance of favouring family policies instead of migration for the solution to the demographic challenges; as well as the upcoming presidential election in the US.
58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh pointed a rifle at President Trump while he was golfing at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida but Secret Service agents thwarted the assassination attempt. Routh, apprehended by the police shortly after the incident, is an avid supporter of Ukraine and has apparently attempted to recruit volunteers to fight against Russia.
The municipality statement issued on 16 September said that from 1 January 2026 the Terézváros local government will set the number of days that properties can be used for short-term rentals in the district at zero. The referendum was called in response to the growing number of resident complaints about the disturbance caused by Airbnb-type accommodations.
A recent op-ed on The Federalist argues that the conduct of ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis during the debate between President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris constituted an illegal, in-kind campaign contribution to the Harris campaign worth over $40 million.
According to EU forecasts, the Hungarian economy could be the third fastest-growing economy in the EU next year, Viktor Orbán said in his regular public radio interview on Friday morning. He highlighted the paramount importance of avoiding the forming of economic blocs, a view that is shared by leading European political and economic players.
The conference featured research by Italian author and journalist Thomas Fazi, whose report ‘The Silent Coup’ was recently published by MCC Brussels. In his report Fazi argues that the sovereign debt crisis, the refugee crisis, the Brexit referendum, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine all contributed to the widening of the European Commission’s competences.
Since Strabag has previously stated that it does not consider its stake in the railway company a strategic investment and is willing to sell it, the last obstacle has been removed for the Hungarian state to further increase its ownership in the Győr–Sopron–Ebenfurth Railway Corporation.
Minister for European Union Affairs János Bóka has been delegated to negotiate with Brussels about the €200 million fine Hungary received for failing to meet migrant quotas, Gergely Gulyás also revealed.
The European Union’s industrial strategy prioritizes the green and digital transformation of the automotive industry, with a strong focus on promoting electromobility. Hungarian State Secretary for Industrial Policy and Technology Gergely Fábián highlighted at a recent event in Brussels that Hungary is at the forefront of this effort, viewing the automotive industry and battery production as strategic sectors. Hungary was also one of the first member states to call for an EU-level action plan to promote electromobility.
Vice President Kamala Harris did a lot better against President Donald Turmp than Joe Biden, that is undeniable. However, there are a lot of saving graces for President Trump’s performance.
Although no sources have confirmed that the Hungarian Ministry of Defence has officially expressed interest in the Sigma system, this state-of-the-art technology could easily fit into Hungary’s ongoing force development and modernization programme.
After the 5–0 loss against Germany, the Hungarian football national team tied Bosnia and Herzegovina 0–0 in the UEFA Nations League. Nevertheless, Marco Rossi has been through rough periods with the team already, and has always managed to come back so far.
The OECD has published its Education at a Glance 2024 report, which examines the state of educational systems and the challenges they face in various countries up to 2023. The analyses are based on data from 2022 and 2023 for educational participation and 2021 for teacher salaries.
Hungarian EU Affairs Minister János Bóka gave a detailed presentation on the first day of the conference co-organized by the Danube Institute, outlining the key priorities of the Hungarian EU Presidency. Bóka highlighted an early success of the presidency, noting that while six months ago the importance of developing European competitiveness was rarely discussed, it has now become a central topic in the European political debate.
Co-organized by the Hungarian think tank Danube Institute, an international media seminar began on Tuesday in Budapest, focusing on the effective use of artificial intelligence in journalism. In his keynote speech, Hungarian State Secretary Zoltán Kovács pointed out that Europe could be the first continent to regulate AI, with the regulation potentially being introduced during Hungary’s EU Presidency.
MOL has signed agreements with oil shippers and pipeline operators to ensure the continuous transport of oil through the Druzhba pipeline from Russia.
President Joe Biden was pressured into dropping out of the race by his own party after a disastrous debate performance in June. Now, as the momentum is shifting back towards Trump, the limelight will be on Vice President Kamala Harris on the stage.