What could be Europe’s future: a decline, or a new golden age? How imminent is the Russian threat to Europe? How does Sweden view Hungary’s fight for sovereignty? We asked former Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt about Europe’s bright or dark future at Brain Bar 2025 in Budapest.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán discussed Hungary’s neighbourhood policy, economic reforms, and political tensions in an interview with Kossuth Radio broadcast from Cluj-Napoca. He warned of foreign influence in Hungarian politics and hailed writer László Krasznahorkai’s Nobel win.
As Hungary’s parliamentary elections approach, polls are becoming increasingly important. Beyond overall support rates, we can expect more heated debates about which social groups politicians have managed to reach and which they have not. In this context, we ask the question: What is the situation with young people?
In a podcast appearance on 6 October, House Speaker László Kövér accused Hungary’s opposition of trying to incite mass hysteria and destabilize elections, drawing parallels to past political unrest and sharply criticizing them for perpetuating the Szőlő Street affair.
‘When political parties on opposite sides of the parliamentary spectrum voice sharp criticism…against a politician belonging to the centrist party family, it is easy to conclude that “extremist” groups are fighting against…balanced policies. This may be true in some cases, but a closer look reveals a much more complex picture, especially in the European political arena.’
‘What are Western institutions for? To impose left-wing progressive ideologies on the world? If so, how are they any different from the Warsaw Pact or its late successor, the “Russian World”?’
‘Beyond the automotive and electrical component manufacturing it offers, Hungary may hold the key to one of the most significant problems threatening Japan’s survival: its rapidly declining birthrate and aging population. It’s no secret that Japan is facing a demographic crisis of epic proportions…Hungary may offer Japan the guidance it needs to turn its ship around.’
The collapse of Sébastien Lecornu’s government has plunged France deeper into crisis, forcing Emmanuel Macron to weigh another snap election that could propel Marine Le Pen’s National Rally to power. Such a shift would upend the European Union’s political order, giving patriots unprecedented influence in Paris and Brussels.
Leader of the far-right Hungarian opposition party Our Homeland, László Toroczkai has announced in parliament that he will challenge the result of the 2026 parliamentary election regardless of outcome. Since Facebook deleted his page in 2019 and hasn’t reinstated it despite a Hungarian ruling, he feels his party is being unfairly disadvantaged.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán declared that low taxes are the best economic policy in an interview with the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stressing tax cuts as key to wage growth and competitiveness while rejecting EU-driven tax hikes.
‘Across Europe, establishment forces increasingly block ballot access to maintain liberalism’s tight grip.’
The right-wing ANO party, led by Former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, won by far the most seats (80) and the largest share of the popular vote (34.5 per cent) in the Czech parliamentary election held this weekend. However, they still need to find coalition partners to form a government. During his first term in office, PM Babiš had a close relationship with PM Viktor Orbán of Hungary.
‘The experience of the European Union member states in the 21st century clearly indicates that the true measure of sovereignty today is not primarily the question of the fulfilment of a legal concept, but the level of realization of economic and technological independence.’
‘In recent years, the European Union has been seeking the glamour of international politics. It wants to behave like a great power, while its vocation should be to organize close cooperation between sovereign states. It wants to wage war when its mission is to bring peace. Under the current leadership, it has abandoned its mission as set forth by the Founding Fathers, and this could cost it its existence.’
‘The central allegation is that Pegasus was acquired illegally…In 2017 Deputy Minister of Justice Michał Woś transferred funds from the Justice Fund to the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA). The opposition and the Supreme Audit Office deemed this unlawful, claiming that the CBA may only receive money from the state budget. However, there is no legal basis for such exclusivity…’
What tools of pressure does Trump have to deploy against Russia if diplomacy fails? Is the United States’ support for Israel infinite? Could Hungary switch from Russian energy to American? What is the future of Europe? We asked former United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie about Trump’s three unresolved geopolitical games.
Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok paid an official visit to Kazakhstan, where he was awarded the country’s highest state honour, the Order of Friendship, in recognition of the close ties between the two nations. Talks focused on strategic cooperation in energy, trade, and logistics.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reiterated that Hungarians want to stay out of the war and reject Ukraine’s EU membership. Following the EU summit in Copenhagen, he launched a signature drive to reinforce public opposition to Brussels’ war strategy.
‘Politically-involved people in the West will encounter different problems in their own national landscapes, but they may find they have a lot to learn from the failures, successes and general proceedings in other countries.’
The country exemplifies competition between liberal and postliberal forces.
From a cheating scandal in the Naval Academy in 1994, through an insider trading scandal, to a nepotism scandal in 2025—Congresswoman and gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill is really making the Democrats sweat in the once deep blue New Jersey. Can Republican Jack Ciattarelli take advantage of the scandals and win the race in the Garden State?
EU leaders will meet in Copenhagen on Wednesday for an informal European Council meeting, testing how far Brussels is willing to go to sideline Viktor Orbán. Council President António Costa is lobbying to bypass Hungary’s veto on Ukraine’s accession talks and on the use of frozen Russian assets—an approach Budapest says violates treaties and destroys institutional balance.
While mainstream media screams ‘MAGA lunatic’ after the Michigan Mormon church mass shooting, the truth tells a different story. Thomas Jacob Sanford was not driven by Trump but by animosity toward Mormons. Contrast that with left-linked violence—like the ICE shooting or Charlie Kirk’s assassination—where ideology was scrawled on the very bullets.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán dismissed allegations of paedophilia linked to a correctional facility in Szőlő Street as a foreign-backed disinformation campaign, while warning of legal consequences and defending his government’s policies on energy, taxes, and family support.
‘The question in the title of this panel is based on the very dubious assumption that—until now—we have been living in an era of globalization and that this era is now coming to an end. I consider this a wrong way of thinking, a wrong reasoning, a wrong reading of history.’
Google has announced plans to restore YouTube accounts previously banned over COVID-19 and election content. The move comes after admitting that US political pressure, including lobbying from the Biden administration, influenced earlier restrictions.
The deaths of seven AfD candidates before North Rhine–Westphalia’s local elections stirred controversy after economist Stefan Homburg called the cluster ‘statistically almost impossible’. Despite official findings of natural causes, AfD leader Alice Weidel echoed concerns—highlighting broader tensions around democratic pluralism in Germany.
With a federal government shutdown likely coming in the US, it is worth asking: why not include appropriations bills for annual federal budgets in the list of exceptions that do not need to clear the 60-vote threshold in the Senate to overcome the filibuster?
Hungary is urging the EU to classify Antifa as a terrorist organization following the assassination of free speech activist Charlie Kirk. With past violent attacks in Budapest and controversial EP immunity for suspect Ilaria Salis, officials argue that Antifa poses a serious threat to public safety and that Brussels must align with US counterterrorism measures.
‘While the EU promotes green energy…in every possible forum, EU bodies may keep Hungary in complete uncertainty for decades regarding the feasibility and conditions for implementing its investment in the transition to safe and clean energy.’