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Brussels Can’t Get Over PM Orbán’s Peace Mission — 63 MEPs Call for Stripping Hungary of Its Voting Rights

All indications suggest that Brussels simply cannot get over Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s peace mission. In the latest development, 63 MEPs have written an open letter to EU leaders, urging them to strip Hungary of its voting rights in response to the prime minister’s ‘rogue’ diplomacy. Additionally, the European Commission has instructed its commissioners to skip informal ministerial meetings organized by the Hungarian EU presidency.

Casablanca Conference. General Henri Honoré Giraud, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, General Charles de Gaulle, and Winston Churchill (from the left to the right). Casablanca, Morocco, January 1943

Internal Conflicts and Future Alternatives for European Integration

‘If we are looking for a more idealistic, right-wing conservative solution to the puzzle, we have to question the current form of the EU as it is. It may be appealing to the economic right, but it contains very little for the social right. This would mean either a radical restructuring of the EU to align towards more of these values or its reduction to a mere economic cooperation platform.’

Cesare Maccari, Cicero Denounces Catiline (1889). Palazzo Madama, Rome, Italy

Is There a Democracy Deficit in Hungary or the EU?

‘In Hungary, most of society and the government view the state of democracy operating in the institutions of the EU with growing concern and mounting criticism. This mutual criticism increasingly defines the relationship between Hungary and the system of EU institutions in Brussels.’

Brussels Censorship Strikes Again: Right-Wing ID, ECR Excluded From EP-Election Debate

The European Broadcasting Union has not invited the right-wing Identity and Democracy and the European Conservatives and Reformists to the EP election debate scheduled for 23 May. The decision, explained on ridiculous grounds, is yet another sign that what is at stake at the upcoming European elections is to defend freedom of speech against the left-wing progressive dictatorship of opinion.

Two Magyar Men, Two Rival Visions for Europe — The Symbolic Importance of László Molnárfi and Viktor Orbán

‘It’s hard not to think of another Hungarian who was a radical back in his student days: Viktor Orbán, who took on the existing Communist power structure. In fact, the two Hungarian political activists who began as student radicals—Orbán and Molnárfi—uncannily represent rival futures for Europe. With European elections approaching in June, the two make quite the symbolic pair.’

Experts Dissect Hungary in the EU at Mathias Corvinus Collegium Roundtable

During a roundtable discussion organized by the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) on Thursday in Budapest, experts dissected Hungary’s role and opportunities within the EU. They agreed that one of the key topics during Hungary’s EU presidency should be the integration of the Western Balkans. They also discussed the war in Ukraine, the Eastern opening, and the bureaucracy in Brussels, among other topics.

Romania's President Klaus Johannis, Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda and his wife Diana Nausediene pose upon arrival at the social dinner during the NATO Summit in Vilnius on 11 July 2023.

Rutte or Klaus — Campaign for NATO Secretary General Picking Up Momentum

Hungary strongly opposes Dutch PM Mark Rutte’s candidacy. There are alternatives to Rutte, however; candidates that might not enjoy widespread support as of now but are less divisive. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, for one, recently announced his candidacy for the role. But Hungary’s endorsement of President Iohannis is not self-evident, considering that Klaus accused the Romanian Socialist Democratic Party and the Hungarian minority party UDMR of conspiring ‘to give Transylvania to Hungary’ during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pieter Brueghel the Elder, The Hay Harvest – Labours of the Months (1565). Lobkowicz Collections, Lobkowicz Palace, Prague, Czech Republic

Anatomy of the Farmers’ Protests Sweeping Europe

Weeks of farmers’ protests across Europe seem to have broken Brussels, with the European Commission making significant concessions to disgruntled farmers. However, quick symptomatic treatments will not resolve the deep-rooted problems of European agriculture.