As Minister for EU Affairs János Bóka also emphasized on 24 September, the Hungarian government is aware that the Commission has other tools at its disposal to deduct the sum. Despite not being willing to pay the fine, Budapest aims to engage in a ‘constructive way’ with Brussels to ensure compliance with the ECJ ruling. Minister Bóka also said Hungary was looking into ‘legal possibilities on how certain expenses incurred in the protection of the border could be offset’ against the penalty.
The European Commission is allocating approximately €10 billion in aid to flood-affected countries in Central and Eastern Europe, but Hungary is notably absent from the list. The reason is somewhat paradoxical: Hungary has been so effective in its protective measures that the resulting damage is expected to fall below the threshold required to qualify for the EU Solidarity Fund.
A key factor in the European Union’s courting of new partners will be how it balances its ideological inclinations and the necessity of compromise for meeting its needs. The break from Russian sources has been seen by some as an opportunity to accelerate the conversion of the continent into a green energy-powered utopia.
EU Member States are soon set to vote on the introduction of punitive tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China. In the informal vote held in July, only four member states opposed the measure, while 11 abstained. Now, it falls to Germany and Hungary to lead the effort to shift positions and prevent an unnecessary trade war with China.
‘From a sovereigntist standpoint, we need a rule-of-law conception that does not concede any authority over domestic affairs to supranational organizations and international bureaucracies. We need to keep an eye on the bigger picture and understand that these discussions are very much related to the future of the European community. Eurocrats instrumentalize courts to promote their federalist agenda through seemingly neutral rulings about the rule of law.’
‘The gradual diminishing of Europe’s importance in the eyes of the successive US administrations in the twenty-first century has been arrested by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and weakened the “pivot” or “rebalance” to Asia for the time being: emergencies have cropped up elsewhere. As Joseph Stalin may be said to have been one of the “founding fathers” of NATO, so may Vladimir Putin be seen in a similar role with regard to the revival of NATO, and closer US–EU cooperation.’
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.
This study focuses on questions related to the Russia–Ukraine War, one of the most dramatic events in contemporary European history. It seeks to examine the extent to which the citizens of Europe feel that the official positions of Brussels (the EU) and NATO, and the resultant decisions, are their own.
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.
‘In contrast to five years ago, the legitimacy of the Commission’s former and future President has been weak from the start in 2024. Although she is a Spitzenkandidat now, as she was the leader of the European People’s Party list in the European Parliament elections, the support of the leaders of the Member States is much weaker. In Germany, she is considered an opposition politician, so she is not a favourite but rather a forced choice for the governing coalition.’
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.
Ukko Metsola is a top lobbyist for the Royal Caribbean Group, the world’s second-largest cruise ship company. So ironically, while Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament, has been apparently making efforts to have green regulations adopted by the EP, her husband is lobbying for a global polluter. In addition, thanks to the new code of ethics she pushed through, she is not required to disclose potential conflicts of interest.
‘Although the political forces thinking in terms of a European alternative failed to replace the Brussels Grand Coalition in the 2024 EP elections, there is a real chance that they could organize themselves into a new right-wing pole in the next five years, which could bring about a real systemic change in Brussels politics.’
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.
This week, Germany, the European Union’s largest economy and one of the founding members of the Schengen area, decided to reintroduce border controls along its entire land border in response to growing pressure caused by illegal migration. Increasingly, more member states are following suit for similar reasons, raising the risk that internal border controls will become standard practice, ultimately threatening the existence of one of the EU’s greatest achievements: the Schengen area.
‘If the West wants to maintain its geopolitical weight and address its internal tensions, it should focus primarily on solving its own structural problems…, rather than transforming these internal problems into a global geopolitical conflict. External conflicts and total attempts to dominate the planet will not only fail to solve internal tensions but will ultimately exacerbate them.’
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.
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.
‘The 2024 elections will be crucial for Austria’s political future. The country faces significant challenges, from economic austerity to migration and climate protection, all of which will generate intense debates during the election campaign. While the FPÖ’s rise ought to bring radical changes, it remains uncertain whether they will secure a place in government.’
Draghi proposes that the EU’s priorities should include the lowering of energy prices, increasing competitiveness, proper governance of industrial policy, and increased defence spending. The EU should no longer rely on others to maintain its security, he argues, since continuing to do so would make it more vulnerable.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has carried out a government reshuffle unprecedented since the outbreak of the war, with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba being the most notable victim. Ukraine’s situation on the battlefield is becoming increasingly difficult, and many believe the Kursk incursion was a significant mistake, ultimately falling on Zelenskyy’s shoulders. Thus the changes in his government may be part of the Ukrainian president’s efforts to sideline political opponents and silence dissenting voices.
‘For peace, a ceasefire is needed first. Only then can a peace plan be developed to end the conflict. Anyone who does not accept this is not familiar with the science of peacemaking,’ Balázs Orbán wrote in his analysis for Mandiner.
German newspaper Die Welt has obtained exclusive information on the planned composition of Ursula von der Leyen’s next Commission. Citing senior EU officials, the article outlines the potential commissioner-designates for key posts, presenting a scenario that could be bittersweet for Hungary over the next five years.
Axios has recently published a story in which the chair of the Harris-Walz campaign calls Democrats ‘the clear underdogs’ in the presidential election. While Harris is performing well in public polling, rumours are that her team’s internal numbers tell a different story. This is also evidenced by the fact that she is making a campaign stop in New Hampshire, a state that is supposedly safe blue in 2024.
Over the weekend, the Israeli Defense Forces found the bodies of six Israeli hostages killed by the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip town of Rafah. In their initial reports major international media outlets were reluctant to spell out Hamas’s responsibility in their headlines, unsurprisingly for those who have been following the conflict and the media coverage attentively from the beginning of the war. This most recent example highlights the mainstream media’s growing tendency to deny or distort reality when it suits them.