‘If Hungary does not receive more oil from Russia, we will simply not survive; we will not be able to supply the country,’ Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó emphasized in an interview with the Russian TV channel RBK. The minister stressed that currently, there is no alternative route capable of supplying Hungary with sufficient oil other than the pipeline that runs through Ukraine.
The prospect of Hungary complying with the ECJ ruling appears increasingly unlikely, as the government shows no sign of relenting. In fact, the issue may escalate into a broader political confrontation.
As Hungary holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, it can leverage its influence to set the EU’s agenda in favour of increased imports of Turkmen gas, presenting it as a strategic and cost-effective alternative to Russian energy dependence. This would not only support Hungary’s energy strategy but also align with the broader EU goals of securing diverse and reliable energy sources while enhancing its presence in the geopolitically significant Central Asian region.
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.
In 2016 the Hungarian government embarked on a military development programme driven by the need for a strong military capable of protecting the lives, property, and culture of Hungarian citizens, as well as fulfilling the country’s NATO obligations. The setting up of the Territorial Defence Forces Command was part of this effort.
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.
The decision to ban mobile phones was made by Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara in July. From September this year, students in kindergartens and the first five grades of primary schools are not allowed to use mobile phones, even for educational or learning purposes. Tablets, computers, and other technological devices may be used under teacher supervision. Hungary has also introduced a similar measure recently.
Through the app made available by the Hungarian government citizens will be able to access all their important information, such as their personal ID number, their public health care ID number, and even information about their vehicle. The aim of the initiative is to ease the reliance on physical copies of important documents.
The case of the Algerian boxer Imane Khelif was undoubtedly one of the biggest scandals of the summer, dominating headlines in major media outlets for weeks. Hungarian Conservative sat down with former Olympian Zsuzsa Csisztu to examine the controversial athlete’s rise and its impact on women’s sports from the perspective of a female athlete.
At the end of July Viktor Orbán announced that he would nominate again Olivér Várhelyi, the former Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Policy. Hungary would retain the position in charge of enlargement policy in the new Commission, but this ambition may be thwarted. Currently it seems that the majority of Member States and the EP are reluctant to give Hungary any strong commissioner position, and many predict that Várhelyi will be given a hard time during his parliamentary committee hearing.
Speaking at the festive senate meeting marking the start of the academic year at the University of Pécs on the Day of Hungarian Higher Education, State Secretary Varga-Bajusz noted that higher education serves students, families, teachers, the Hungarian economy, and the Hungarian nation—essentially, it is ‘for us, our present, and our future.’
During the week innovation events will be hosted by organizations such as EduTech Hungary, the Hungarian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (HVCA), the Vienna Business Agency, the Hungarian Project Management Association, RInnoValleys, and the Hungarian Business Angel Network (HUNBAN).
The radical right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party got the most votes in the state of Thuringia, and came in close second in Saxony. Experts Ágoston Sámuel Mráz, Bence Bauer, and Zoltán Kiszelly shared their thoughts as the results were coming at an event organized by MCC.
‘To discover this need to escape the darkness, one must first descend. One of the themes of Kontroll is descent, in both a literal and figurative sense. Another tale featuring this theme is La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy) by Italian writer and poet Dante Alighieri (1265–1321). In many ways, Kontroll is a re-telling of The Divine Comedy, with a message of redemption that can be applied to the individual, and to Hungary itself.’
‘Most wishing to migrate to the U.S. are seeking a better life, contrary to the regional violence, corruption, and economic devastation in their home countries. If U.S. and Central American governments are able to institutionalize a ‘Marshall Plan’ as Washington had done for Europe after World War II, then perhaps a workable solution is possible. However, the U.S. needs to take the lead in this, though it would be unable to do so long as members of both Democratic and Republican Parties continue to childishly bicker with one another.’
‘The main reason why Africa has barely been affected by the demographic transition is to be found in its historical circumstances. The continent only joined the capitalist world system in the mid-to-late nineteenth century—the latest of all the important global regions. As a result, the typical consequences of adopting this model were significantly delayed in Africa.’
An in-depth interview with pianist and choir director Zsuzsánna Balla, who has lived in the United States for more than twenty years, and yet she and her family have preserved and continue to foster their Hungarian heritage, and are active and enthusiastic members of the Hungarian American community.
‘Just as liberalism did not succeed in transforming people after socialism, neither did the competing anti-liberal, post-Christian, nihilistic trends. The solution is certainly not political or movement-based: those had already failed by the middle of the twentieth century.’
From this year onwards, Hungarian universities and colleges have full discretion in how to award the 100 ‘extra points’ in the admission process. Minister of Culture and Innovation Balázs Hankó of Hungary lauded the new system, saying it provides ‘flexibility, competitiveness and institutional autonomy’.
According to Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak, Kyiv plans to shut down the Druzhba oil pipeline starting from 1 January 2025. This pipeline is a key route through which Russian oil reaches Europe, including Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. Hungarian oil and gas company MOL stated that it has not been informed of this decision and that transport is currently running smoothly. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó has assured that Hungary’s energy supply remains secure.
The Hungarian central bank, through its Green Programme launched in 2019, has sought solutions that not only serve the goal of achieving climate neutrality but also contribute to mitigating the extreme weather conditions caused by climate change and improving the state of biodiversity.
The informal meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council took place amid heightened tensions in Brussels on 29 August. The mood was set by Josep Borrell’s decision to relocate the meeting from Budapest to the Belgian capital as a signal of disapproval of Viktor Orbán’s peace mission. Ahead of the meeting, pro-war ministers issued statements criticizing the Hungarian government, and the tense atmosphere carried over into the discussions in the meeting room.
The reigning Hungarian champions Ferencváros beat out the Bosnian side FK Borac Banja Luka on penalties in the away leg, and thus qualified for the Europa League’s newly established league phase. Meanwhile, Puskás Akadémia also made it to the penalty shootout against the finalists of the last two Conference League campaigns, the Italian Fiorentina, but narrowly fell short this time.
At the Winery of the Year award ceremony in Villány State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Márton Nobilis affirmed that the government and the Ministry remain committed to supporting the sector, with a particular focus on innovation and promoting sustainable viticulture and winemaking practices.
There are a number of conventional weapons whose appearance in US adversaries’ hands can cause serious damage to American interests all around the world. It is not difficult to imagine the threat of hypersonic anti-ship weapons, barely interceptable by contemporary air defence weaponry, on commercial ships, not only on the Red Sea. Arming let’s say Mexican drug cartels with modern anti-tank equipment could also seriously hamper US efforts to block the flow of drugs into the country.
Germany has some of the most stringent export control laws in the world, especially concerning dual-use technologies that can be utilized for both civilian and military purposes. But the discovery of German-manufactured parts in Hezbollah’s arsenal raises troubling questions about the effectiveness of these regulations.
‘The influence of Mao’s Cultural Revolution can indeed be seen as haunting Western universities today. In some respects, Western universities are now experiencing what Eastern European institutions endured under communism.’
Ukraine’s decision not to renew its contract with Gazprom has raised concerns in many about how Russian gas will reach Europe in the future. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that Russia could still meet European customers’ needs through the Turkish Stream pipeline, but at a higher cost than before. This latest move by Ukraine poses yet another threat to Hungary’s energy security.
The Socialist Sánchez government in Spain vetoed the Hungarian consortium Ganz-MÁVAG Europe’s acquisition of the Spanish train manufacturer Talgo. Their concern was the supposed close ties between Budapest and Moscow, fearing that the Hungarian company may share trade secrets with the Russians.
US Ambassador David Pressman has once again criticized the Hungarian government, this time targeting Viktor Orbán’s peace mission. According to Pressman, no one is truly following the Hungarian Prime Minister’s efforts for peace, which he characterized as ‘appeasement’.