The Department of State’s failure to respond to Judicial Watch’s FOIA request has only aggravated existing concerns about the potential political motivation behind the Visa Waiver changes. The Judicial Watch lawsuit underscores the necessity for transparency and accountability in government decisions that could impact international relations and diplomatic relations.

Within just a few days, the Commission has gone from announcing a complete suspension of aid to the Palestinians to tripling humanitarian aid to them. No wonder a special summit was soon needed to coordinate EU communication on the conflict in Israel.

On the European level, the representatives of Poland and Slovakia often share concerns and vote together with Hungary, especially Poland—at least, it did so until now. While Bratislava is most likely to develop even closer cooperation with Budapest with Fico’s victory, Warsaw will most certainly cease to be the staunch ally it used to be.

Despite having only two Democrats and eight Republicans on the ballot, Jeff Landry, with the endorsement of President Trump, managed to win over 50 per cent of the popular vote in the primary, and thus became the next governor of Louisiana. What does this mean for 2024?

Hungarian-Chinese relations are largely about a medium-sized nation’s struggle to diversify and reduce the risk of having all of its eggs in the German manufacturers’ basket.

While the European Commission initially announced that it was putting its entire Palestinian development portfolio under review, it soon re-evaluated its decision, stating that it remains committed to preventing any misuse of aid funds, but also recognizes the importance of humanitarian aid in providing essential services to those in need.

The EU is suspending aid to the Palestinians with immediate effect following the Israeli attack, and has expressed its solidarity with Israel, underlining its right to defend itself against the violent and indiscriminate attacks, in accordance with international law.

‘According to recent polls, neither United Right nor Civic Platform will be able to form a government on its own…Donald Tusk’s situation seems easier in that he may have a realistic chance of including both the aforementioned Lewica and the Third Way alliance in the future governing coalition. This does not mean, however, that it would be easy for him to govern with these parties, and indeed such multi-party coalitions—let us not forget that the KO is itself an alliance—are often not very stable and long-lived.’

The Mathias Corvinus Collegium, in collaboration with the Migration Research Institute and the Wacław Felczak Institute of Polish-Hungarian Cooperation, held a conference in Budapest, in which renowned experts discussed one of Europe’s most pressing issues of the time: migration.

‘What sacrifices would the Australian nation be prepared to make now? I suspect that we will have to make some, more than we have recently had to—sacrifices in treasure, at least, if we are to avoid having to make them in blood. Because dictatorships are on the march, not just here in Europe and in the Middle East, but in East Asia too, and the only way to see off aggressive bullies is to meet them with an equal measure of strength and determination.’

The former President has faced a deluge of legal accusations, both criminal and civil, to the point where it is almost becoming comical. Donald Trump has been indicted four times by now on nearly 100 felony charges. However, this seems to be helping his re-election prospects, as opposed to hurting them.

While Prime Minister Morawiecki stated at PiS’s last congress before the 15 October elections in Katowice that Polish voters would in less than two weeks decide whether Poland becomes a ‘European land, a European province,’ or remains a sovereign country, a large opposition rally was held in Warsaw.

Fulfilling the predictions of the recent polls, the SMER party has won the early elections in Slovakia. Robert Fico will likely be elected prime minister for the fourth time in the history of the Central European country.

On the surface, the Slovak election seems to be about a single question: will Robert Fico, the country’s former prime minister, be able to return to power? However, even if he does triumph, he will be forced to enter difficult negotiations with multiple potential coalition partners.

The idea of founding a country from scratch in order to establish a homeland for a nation that does not exist yet is an act that would be seen by most as patently insane. But looking a little further into the past, it should be clear to all that there is indeed such precedent; and a very notable one, in fact: the United States.

The 22.4 percentage point reduction in child poverty between 2014 and 2021 in Hungary, which is also an EU record, is clearly due to employment growth, and primarily to the growth of the employment of women with children.

The former POTUS is also up by 1.1 points in the RealClearPolitics polling aggregate, which tends to underestimate his performance in presidential elections.

At the recent Peace of Westphalia conference in Münster, the Hungarian foreign minister said the Abraham Accords should serve as an example for resolving other similar conflicts around the world, adding that ‘even though the Middle East seems to be far away in a geographical sense, we all know that whatever happens in the Middle East, it has a direct influence on Europe.’

The French and German political elites have apparently grown tired of the never-ending debates about the present and future of the European Union, which are impeding the integration goals they wish to see, and now want to force them to an end. In some ways, this would also mean a break with the ‘Europa auf Augenhöhe’ (‘Europe at eye level’) policy that made the EU so attractive in the 1990s, and it is to be expected that the ‘problematic’ member states of Central and Eastern Europe will not let this pass without a fight.

People increasingly feel that liberal and left-wing politicians, hand in hand with the Brussels bureaucracy, have become detached from reality, and are unable to provide relevant answers to the everyday problems of citizens.

Since the regime change, we have had eight heads of government, of whom only Viktor Orbán has had more than one term. With his current term running until spring 2026, he has every chance of becoming a historical record holder after 16 years in power.

Ursula von der Leyen’s annual ‘State of the Union’ address was rife with notable omissions, which raises concerns about transparency, and highlights the need for the Brussels leadership to demonstrate more substantively that they are worthy of voter trust ahead of 2024 European elections.

Besides supporting EU’s EDIRPA and ASAP initiatives, Hungary has also been participating in joint capacity building and procurement programmes with France and Germany.

Religious hatred matters. Jihadi violence targeting Christian houses of worship during religious holidays explicitly conveys theological hostility. This terrible reality is unpalatable for some analysts, who remain content to blame other forces.

Slovakia’s upcoming early elections are attracting a lot of attention internationally, but the Hungarian ethnic parties, unable to surpass the parliamentary threshold since 2020, are again unlikely to enter the Bratislava national assembly. What has led to this situation? Why are Hungarians in the Uplands divided?

The confetti cannon has been fired and the Polish campaign is officially underway: at the beginning of August, President Andrzej Duda set 15 October as the date for the parliamentary elections, an event that is making not only the Poles but also Hungarians hold their breath.

The Hungarian Jewish leaders and the Israeli Prime Minister discussed issues of Jewish communal life in Hungary and the events that may accompany the possible relocation of the Hungarian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  With the potential move of the Hungarian mission to Jerusalem Hungary would become the first EU country to recognize that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital.

As the European Commission’s politicization takes place without real democratic political legitimacy, serious dilemmas arise: what exactly are the interests of the President of the European Commission, and whom does she represent when she gives her annual State of the Union Address?

The next few weeks will show the true situation on the front: success in Ukraine will bring the war closer to its end; failure could result in a stand-off and the conflict dragging on for years.

Boris Palmer was once a wunderkind of Germany’s Greens, but his controversial takes on migration and cancel culture have forced him out of his party. His appearance at one of MCC’s events is not less divisive: is he a new Orbán-Versteher in the making?