The Patriots for Europe EP group held their first summit on Thursday in Brussels. The meeting was attended by all the leaders of the PfE parties and took place ahead of the European Council summit scheduled to discuss the war in Ukraine, migration, as well as key economic policies, all of which Hungary differs on with most member states.
Hungarian Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky announced a historic agreement with Sweden to jointly develop the Gripen fighter jet. This cooperation elevates Hungarian–Swedish relations to a strategic level, the minister stated.
128 Orthodox Jewish men were not allowed to board their connecting flight to Budapest, Hungary in Frankfurt, Germany by the German commercial airline Lufthansa in May 2022. Only some of these passengers disregarded COVID-19 rules at the time, but they were all penalized as a group. For this incident, Lufthansa has agreed to pay $4 million in penalties.
Deputy General-Director of the World Trade Organization Zhang Xiangchen praised the Hungarian strategy of economic neutrality, stating that it is the way forward. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó highlighted that the Hungarian government is fully committed to the implementation of the strategy.
Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris got herself into an embarrassing scandal, after conservative activist and writer Chris Rufo revealed that she had included virtually unedited passages from uncredited sources, including the open online encyclopaedia Wikipedia. Rufo’s accusations of plagiarism led to the resignation of Harvard president Claudine Gay earlier this year.
The Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) has been elected to the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), in recognition of BME’s achievements in space research and education on a global scale. BME is one of Hungary’s most prestigious higher education institutions, with as many as four Nobel laureates having graduated from it.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will attend the first EU-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Brussels on Wednesday, co-chaired by European Council President Charles Michel and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The summit aims to strengthen partnerships amidst growing geopolitical challenges. Orbán will also join the European Council meeting later this week.
The Council of the EU adopted a declaration on promoting Jewish life and combating antisemitism during Hungary’s EU Presidency while the country being one of the safest in the EU for Jewish community.
Fidesz has proposed the launching of a national consultation covering topics such as economic neutrality, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, wage increases, worker loans, housing, and family assistance, according to the party’s faction leader, Máté Kocsis. The Fidesz politician stated at the government’s off-site meeting in Esztergom that there is need for new economic tools in light of the changes brought by the pandemic and the war.
With a goal in each half from captain Dominik Szoboszlai, Hungary beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2–0 on the road in the League A group game of the UEFA Nations League. With this victory, the national team will most likely avoid direct relegation this season, and will have the chance to play a play-off at the end of the season to stay in the top division.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s visit to Germany for the Berlin Process summit and his meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz happened amidst continuous attacks on the Hungarian government and the Hungarian EU presidency. In an unprecedented move, the EPP has called on the Hungarian prime minister to resign, and proposed that he be replaced by Péter Magyar, the Hungarian opposition leader who has the reputation of a domestic abuser and is accused of theft.
Beside the boosting of the European Union’s competitiveness, fighting climate change is also a key priority of the Hungarian EU Presidency. According to State Secretary Miklós Dukai water management plays a central role in building a sustainable future, where every small step and piece of knowledge gained are of crucial importance.
Thanks to the Hungarian government’s utility cost reduction policy, Hungarian families will once again enjoy the cheapest and most secure energy supply in Europe this winter. According to Németh Szilárd, Government Commissioner in charge of maintaining reduced energy costs, the country’s gas reserves are at 93 per cent capacity, and the government’s successful policies have shielded citizens from the impacts of the energy crisis.
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin has claimed that an assassination attempt is being planned against Viktor Orbán due to his pro-peace stance regarding Ukraine. If true, it would not be surprising, as it would align with the pattern of assassination attempts targeting pro-peace leaders, beginning with Robert Fico in May and continuing with Donald Trump.
The Russian news agency RIA Novosti distorted Péter Szijjártó’s remarks about NATO’s role in the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, making it appear as though the Hungarian foreign minister blamed NATO for the conflict. The Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade strongly rejects these misrepresentations.
The recently established Sovereignty Protection Office of Hungary has concluded its findings on the Berlin-based international NGO Transparency International. It has found that the organization ‘is part of a global lobbying network, which exerts political pressure’; and that it has in part been funded by George Soros’ Open Society Foundation.
Hungary have tied the Netherlands, one of the semi-finalist teams at Euro 2024 this summer, 1–1 in their UEFA Nations League group game. They are playing Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight, and that game will most likely determine which of the two teams will have the chance to stay in the top division of the Nations League for another season.
Thanks to comprehensive government measures, the amount of particulate matter (PM10) in Hungary’s air has significantly decreased in recent years, with levels now meeting EU standards nationwide. Data from the Hungarian Meteorological Service reveals clear improvements in air quality, particularly in high-risk regions. The Ministry of Energy attributes this success to extensive emission reduction programmes and ongoing environmental initiatives.
in a Friday radio interview Viktor Orbán announced a new economic stimulus programme, centred around three key measures: providing affordable housing, increasing wages, and supporting small businesses. The Hungarian prime minister underlined that Hungary cannot rely on Brussels to help the EU overcome the competitiveness trap; thus, the country must concentrate on its own priorities.
At an informal meeting of the ministers of EU Member States responsible for employment and social policy in Budapest, Minister for National Economy Márton Nagy of Hungary stated that even an 85-per-cent work force participation rate is achievable in Hungary ‘if the internal labour market reserve can be mobilized’.
A pro-Trump business owner named Anthony Constantino decided to put up a 100-foot wide ‘Vote for Trump’ sign on his roof in Amsterdam, New York. The Democrat mayor of the city issued a complaint, so Constantino was ordered to cover it up by a judge. However, the same judge reversed her decision shortly after, so the sign could stay and even be lit up at night.
‘Hungary is Kazakhstan’s reliable friend, a fraternal state and a strategic partner,’ Chairman Yerlan Koshanov said during his recent Budapest visit, during which the Kazakh lower house of legislature Mazhilis and the Hungarian National Assembly signed a cooperation agreement.
‘Instead of looking for explanations as to why this terrible thing happened, I suggest that we respond to death with life and fulfil everything that was not given to them, to those who died on 7 October. The murderers robbed them of their dreams, their hopes and their future; we have only one answer: let’s stand up together for them!’, Andor Grósz, President of the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities said at the Dohány Street synagogue commemoration in Budapest.
Minister of Finance Mihály Varga of Hungary shared with a reporter what was on the agenda of the ECOFIN meeting in Luxembourg. The recovery of Europe’s economy, aid to Ukraine financed by loans, climate finance, and the upcoming World Bank and IMF meeting were the topics discussed by Europe’s top financial leaders.
In a video posted to his Facebook page, Fidesz MP and communications director Tamás Menczer said that Prime Minister Orbán had warned in his report after his peace mission in July that the Russo–Ukrainian war would soon escalate, and that turned out to be the case. He also stated that only Donald Trump’s victory could bring peace swiftly to Eastern Europe again.
The crackdown on antisemites has sparked controversy, with critics accusing the government of infringing on free speech and conflating legitimate political expression with antisemitism. Notably, the German police have been actively disrupting pro-Palestinian gatherings for some time now. For example, a recent conference in Berlin was shut down after authorities raised concerns that speakers might incite violence or express antisemitic sentiments.
‘At the end of this struggle, we will turn Paris around, reclaim Warsaw, and become the largest political force in Europe. Then we will take control of Brussels politics and restore Europe to greatness—strong, prosperous, and free once again,’ Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán emphasized in his speech at Matteo Salvini’s League rally.
Most major international sportsbooks give President Trump and Vice President Harris the same odds for victory in the upcoming US Presidential election, while traders on the decentralized prediction market Polymarket think Donald Trump is the slight favourite—this is where we are right now, less than 30 days away from the final decision.
Trains will start commuting on the new Belgrade-Szabadka railway line on 24 November, President Vučić of Serbia has announced, which will reduce the travel time between Budapest and Belgrade to 2 hours and 40 minutes.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average returned 12.26 per cent annually on average under President Trump’s four years in office, as opposed to the 9 per cent average annual growth under President Biden, as per the closing of the last quarter. Meanwhile, the Russell 2000 Index, comprising 1.950 smaller-cap companies, still has not returned to its all-time high recorded in November 2021.