Despite OTP’s continued support of Ukraine, the Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention has recently classified the Budapest-based bank as an ‘international war sponsor’ for not shutting down its Russian subsidiary.

There is a myth, to be dispelled, that the Romans were always cruel conquerors. In truth, those who lived under the rule of the Caesars had plenty autonomy, be it in the public or private sector of society. It was that rationality and pragmatism of Roman law, which regulated regulated the lives of the conquered peoples, that structured Western culture as  is evident from a host of historical, cultural, political, and societal elements.

Europe and Hungary were fortunate to have a mild winter, but ‘a country’s leadership cannot make an unequivocal bet that this will always be repeated,’ Energy Minister Lantos warned. Therefore, the government has decided to raise the level of the security gas reserve. Previously, the country stored 10 per cent of its annual consumption as a security reserve, which was now raised to nearly 2 billion cubic metres, or 20 per cent of consumption, while consumption itself decreased.

According to Slovakian Hungarian-language website Új Szó’s information, Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová officially announced on Sunday afternoon that she would entrust the management of the country to a technocratic government until the early elections, following a meeting with Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollár and outgoing Prime Minister Eduard Heger.

On Day 2 of CPAC Hungary 2023, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó proudly proclaimed that ‘Hungary has come out of every crisis stronger than it had entered’. Family was also a prominent topic, as well as the need to protect life and Creation.

Some EU member states are looking to abolish the veto power of smaller countries in the area of common foreign and security policies. They argue that this would speed up the process of passing laws, however, there are many hurdles to consider.

‘Belligerents in a war never like to acknowledge that there is some intermediation and thus that there is some work to do together with the other side. And therefore, it is always difficult. In that sense, we didn’t experience anything new in the context of Ukraine.’

Péter Szijjártó welcomed Novartis’ announcement that the Swiss pharmaceutical company is establishing a new regional research and development centre in Budapest, from where it will coordinate its research projects in Southern Europe and Africa.

The idea of the holiday was brought to Hungary by a Mrs Pál Petri, who was the wife of a state secretary, who had seen it celebrated in the United States. The first Mother’s Day celebration in Hungary was held on 8 March 1925 in Budapest, for the children of workers at the MÁV machine factory. The leaders of the Red Cross Youth Hungary embraced the idea and lobbied for the introduction of Mother’s Day as a nationwide celebration. Finally, in 1928, a ministerial decree included Mother’s Day among the official school observances.

The event featured, among others, former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Croatian MP Stephen Bartulica, and Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga. Minister Varga called Hungary ‘an island where freedom still lives’; while referring to the Brussels bureaucracy and mainstream media as ‘an octopus with 100 tentacles that we have to fight’.

Hungary and Bangladesh belong to the peace-loving global majority, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in a joint press conference with Bangladeshi Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi in Budapest on Friday.

A major problem with the structure of the EU is that it is not fully based on representative democracy. A case in point, notwithstanding the fact that EU Parliament members are elected by the citizens of the member states, EU leaders picked Ursula von her Leyen to replace Jean-Claude Juncker as the leader of the European Union’s executive branch behind closed doors.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán hosted a working lunch for the European participants of CPAC Hungary, and two special guests.

The earliest Hungarian princes and kings can also be found among the many ancestors of today’s British Royal family: between British King Charles III and the Pagan Hungarian Prince Árpád, leader of the conquering Hungarians, there were forty generations marching through Europe’s more than a thousand-year-old history.

Lt General Gábor Böröndi is the ‘right man in the right place at the right time’ to lead the Hungarian Defence Forces from the combat level to the operational level, the Hungarian Defence Minister stressed at the Lt General’s hearing in parliament.

The Prime Minister gave this piece of advice at CPAC Hungary 2023 to his conservative allies around the world on how to defeat the woke mind virus: ‘All it takes is to write well-visibly on the flag with enormous letters before the elections: no migration, no gender, no war.’

In his interview with Richard Quest, Péter Szijjártó asked the rhetorical question: ‘Do you think all this would be possible if there were systemic corruption? Because if there is systemic corruption, there is no growth, investors do not come, and they do not bring their money here.’

Innovation is both a fundamental human activity, and a fundamentally human activity. It is fundamental, insofar as we are compelled by the need to innovate—a need that expresses itself in various ways.

The prime minister talked about how Hungary has a vested interest in achieving peace in Ukraine, since the war diminishes the value of Hungary and endangers the ethnic Hungarians living in the area.

Hungary is not the only country in East-Central Europe that sees unwanted commentary and meddling by Russia with regard to interpretations of its history. The periods the evaluation of which is the most frequently contested by Russia are the Cold War era and World War II. While Russia glorifies the USSR’s effort to defeat Nazi Germany, CEE countries, including Hungary, highlight the 45 years the Red Army spent in Central Europe as an occupying force after the end of World War II.

Research into WWII labour service has unearthed several cases of army men who, while perhaps not immaculate individuals, did try to help certain Jews. Such research helps posterity understand the history of labour service better and historians paint a more nuanced picture of what happened.

We celebrated the thirty-third anniversary of the formation of the freely elected Hungarian National Assembly on 2 May. The question is, however, whether we should still celebrate it, since the bitter memories of recent times have now thoroughly overshadowed the initial euphoria of the regime change.

By incorporating elements of Hungarian culture and language into Star Wars, the creators have added another layer of depth and richness to the already vibrant universe.

By the 100th anniversary of World War II, the overall appearance of the Buda Castle may be very similar to what it used to be during peacetime before the war. However, many moons will pass by until then, and much political debate is to be had—what future awaits Hungary and Europe by then is also yet to be found out.

After a five-and-a-half- year renovation, metro line M3 is to become fully operational on 22 May, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony announced on social media.

According to the law sponsored by the justice minister, an extended state of emergency is needed to handle the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the war in Ukraine and to tackle the economic consequences of the armed conflict. The bill was designed to ‘ensure all means to assist and accommodate refugees, fence off the negative economic impacts.. and help the country leave behind the effects of the war as soon as possible,’ the draft legislation’s preamble said.

The second annual CPAC Hungary is taking place on 4–5 May at the Bálna shopping and cultural centre in Budapest. The featured speakers include Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Minister of Justice Judit Varga, former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, cable news anchor Tucker Carlson, former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, and former Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša.

The leaders of five EU member states, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania, requested in mid-April that the European Commission take action on Ukrainian grain entering Europe duty-free and causing harm to local farmers.

‘Hungarian folk art passes messages from spirit to spirit, and although it has various ramifications, ultimately its unity is unbreakable,’ the chief curator of the folk arts and crafts exhibition titled SoulShapes Mihály Vetró says.

Peter Maurer, former president of the International Committee of the Red Cross was invited to a discussion in Budapest by the Mathias Corvinus Collegium. He shared some highlights of the ten years of his presidency and the challenges he faced during his tenure.