On 27 May 2024 the Bulgarian President paid a visit to the Hungarian capital to meet with the President of Hungary, Tamás Sulyok, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. These meetings have resulted in the commitment of both sides to develop economic and cultural cooperation, keep the current arrangement in natural gas transit from Bulgaria, and the support for the Hungarian agenda for its upcoming presidency over the Council of the European Union.
Orbán seems to have reached a compromise with exiting Dutch PM Mark Rutte about the latter’s NATO SecGen candidacy. But as for nominating von der Leyen again as next Commission President, Orbán, did not mince his words last night. He declared on X that ‘the will of the European people was ignored’ on Monday evening, and stated that the EPP eventually teamed up with ‘the socialists and the liberals’.
Péter Szijjártó held a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart Israel Katz this Monday, where they discussed the horrific attack on Israel by the terrorist group Hamas on 7 October 2023, as well as the subsequent increase in antisemitism in the West.
The 9 June, Sunday European Parliament and municipal elections in Romania resulted in a historical success for the Hungarian ethnic minority, with the best results achieved in twenty years. As RMDSZ President Hunor Kelemen put it, the mandates RMDSZ won are not just numbers; they also send the message that there is a strong, viable Transylvanian Hungarian community that wants to shape its own future and plans on staying in its homeland.
Although the outcome was not what Hungarian fans had hoped for, the national team’s first group match against Switzerland at the tournament in Germany was still exceptionally popular.
Ulsan HD and Hungarian National Team striker Martin Ádám has become the focus of international attention for his unusual physique after his brief appearance against Switzerland at Euro 2024. Thankfully, he has accepted his status in good humour, saying that he ‘usually gets a good laugh’ when he sees some of the memes about him.
Slovakia’s newly elected president, Peter Pellegrini (49), was inaugurated on Saturday, 15 June in Bratislava. This historical moment is not simply a change of guard but, after the 2023 parliamentary elections, it is the last step in a significant shift in the country’s political landscape, stirring anticipation and hope for a patriotic future in Central Europe.
Last year, the rental prices for centrally located properties in Budapest increased by 17 per cent compared to 2022, placing the Hungarian capital in the mid-range among EU capitals. The survey examined the rental prices of flats typically used by expatriates, that is, the prices of well-maintained, well-equipped central apartments, either built or significantly modernized in the past ten years.
‘Hungary is not providing money, weapons or soldiers for this cooperation, but it is not blocking it either’, the defence minister reaffirmed after the NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels last week.
According to a statement from the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, at the Ukraine peace summit on Sunday Szijjártó highlighted that he represents a neighbouring country to Ukraine, one that has lived in the shadow of war for nearly two and a half years, and has directly faced the humanitarian consequences of the conflict.
Hungary’s performance greatly improved in the second half, but it was not enough to level the scoreline, which ended 3–1 to Switzerland. In the group’s other game Germany easily beat Scotland 5–1 in the tournament’s opening match last night.
Manfred Weber, President of the European People’s Party, stated that the door is open for new opposition leader Péter Magyar’s party to join the European Parliamentary political group, but that he is not the sole decision-maker. The Hungarian Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP) has announced that it will leave the EPP if the Tisza party joins the group.
The recount, which was conducted publicly, and began this morning in the aula of the NVB headquarters, was concluded in the afternoon, but the members of the National Election Commission deliberated for hours afterwards, before finally announcing the result at around 8 p.m. It turned out there were indeed hundreds of ballots invalidated erroneously which should have been considered valid, as Vitézy and his team suspected. The recount established that ultimately Gergely Karácsony received just 41 more votes than Dávid Vitézy.
After being elected to the European Parliament, Italian Antifa Ilaria Salis walked free on 14 June, as Hungarian police released her from house arrest due to the immunity granted to MEPs. This news is both outrageous and terrifying, given the devastation Salis and her associates are believed to have caused, destroying the lives of innocent people in Budapest.
Green and progressive parties suffered major losses in the European Parliamentary elections. According to an analysis by the Climate Policy Institute, this was in part due to the green policies pushed by these parties that put most of the burden of the green transition onto the general populace.
Orbán criticized the European Court of Justice’s fine as influenced by Soros, and reiterated Hungary’s refusal to comply with Brussels’ demands on immigration. He underscored Hungary’s right to decide whom it allows within its borders, stressing that Brussels should not dictate Hungary’s immigration policy.
In his remarks at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium Donald Trump Jr stated that American conservatives regard the Hungarian Prime Minister as a great leader who puts ‘Hungary first’. In his address and the subsequent discussion the businessman touched upon the upcoming American elections, US domestic politics, and global issues, including the Middle Eastern conflict and the war in Ukraine.
The150th school has now joined the cadet training, launched in 2017. The Cadet Programme of the Hungarian Defence Forces is one of the most successful programmes in the defence sector.
Viktor Orbán exchanged views with his guest on the future of Hungarian-American relations, illegal migration, and the peace-making possibilities for ending the Russian–Ukrainian war, Bertalan Havasi said.
Before the decision, Karsai had a conversation with Gergely Gulyás, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office, who argued that, as a religious person, he could not support the taking of a human life.
The European Court of Justice has ordered Hungary to pay €200 million for ‘failing to respect’ EU law regarding procedures for granting international protection and returning illegally staying non-EU nationals. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called the decision outrageous and unacceptable.
The European Commission is planning to impose unprecedentedly high punitive tariffs on all-electric cars imported from China. The plan has elicited strong objections from several member states, including Germany and Hungary.
Budapest mayoral candidate Dávid Vitézy argued that the unusually high number of invalidated ballots are grounds for a recount. 24,592 votes were tossed out in the election, while incumbent Gergely Karácsony only won the extremely tight race by 324 votes.
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, was found guilty in federal court of lying on a form about being a drug addict while purchasing a handgun and of illegal possession of a firearm. Meanwhile, potential juror misconduct could result in a mistrial in President Trump’s case.
Within the HUMDA national championship, the ORB and ORC fields will start with 62 participants on Friday afternoon, while 35 competitors in ORB 2 and 3 will conclude their races by noon on Friday. Additionally, eight Trabant 601s will compete in the Zwei Takt Memory support race.
A turnabout in the Hungarian stance seems unlikely at the moment. The Hungarian government has consistently vetoed further military assistance to Ukraine as well, and will most probably not change course regarding Ukrainian accession to the EU either under the Hungarian rotating presidency.
Hungary are going to their unprecedented third consecutive European Championship after an unbeaten qualifying campaign. They are regarded as the clear underdogs against Germany, the slight underdogs against Switzerland, and the slight favourites against Scotland in their group by bookmakers. Meanwhile, England have the best chance of winning the tournament according to the bookies, ahead of teams such as France, Spain, and hosts Germany.
Hungary has received assurances from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that it will not have to participate in military action outside its territory. Stoltenberg and Viktor Orbán held talks in Budapest on Wednesday, during which, in addition to discussing the war, Hungary’s significant contribution to the functioning of the defence alliance was also highlighted.
Researchers at the HUN-REN Institute of Experimental Medicine (KOKI) have uncovered the precise mechanisms occurring at synapses using an extremely high-resolution microscope. The significance of the discovery is underscored by its publication on the cover of Science Advances, one of the world’s leading scientific journals.
One of the main priorities of the Hungarian EU Presidency, which starts in July, is to increase the EU’s competitiveness. Preparations are already well underway, and on Tuesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with the leaders of the European Roundtable for Industry to gather their advice and develop an effective Hungarian programme.