The Moscow offices of the Hungarian national airline were teeming with clients in the autumn of 1989, and most of the customers were Jewish. They were looking for a way to get away from the societal collapse of the Soviet Union. Ultimately, Hungary offered the way out to 160,000 of them between March 1989 and January 1992.
A scathing review of a 2024 feature film that portrays the Hungarian public school system in a deceitfully negative light.
‘The tradition of bathing in the Danube in Budapest dates back to the 19th century, when a series of Danube baths were opened on the banks of the river…The current proposal aims to bring this tradition back by creating a modern, clean, and safe environment, as the popularity of the open-air Roman Beach is already proving its feasibility.’
‘Western mainstream parties continue to fall behind as new political realities turn their once-cherished project, mass migration, against them—a development that was foreseeable from the very beginning. While they now attempt to reshape their policies to address the crisis, voters have not forgotten who is responsible for the current situation across Europe.’
The ‘Family 2025’ conference reaffirmed Hungary’s dedication to family-centric policies as a cornerstone of national stability and development. Hungary’s approach, combining financial incentives with ideological resistance, aims to ensure long-term family prosperity and national sovereignty in an evolving geopolitical landscape.
In an eventful game, Ferencváros ended up beating the Dutch side AZ Alkmaar 4–3, and thus made it out of the UEFA Europa League’s first-ever league phase, finishing 17th out of 36. They will face the Czech Viktoria Plzen in the first knock-out round.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán discussed the country’s economic outlook, European Union conflicts, and global political shifts in a radio interview. He emphasized the importance of strengthening the middle class, argued in defence of government policies, and criticized Brussels for its economic approach.
‘The EU will now present the new multiannual financial framework in the spring. And this is a consensual project. So all member states have to accept the Commission’s proposal. And therefore, obviously, for negotiating, Hungary can be there any time. This is a great ground for us to change things and, I would say, create a level playing field for us in the negotiations,’ she also told Hungarian Conservative.
Several Hungarian schools received bomb threats via email overnight, prompting authorities to heighten security and conduct evacuations. The Ministry of Interior urged school administrators to monitor their emails and report any threats immediately to law enforcement.
It will not be long before a Hungarian astronaut returns to space, following Bertalan Farkas’s journey in the early 1980s. The fourth mission of Axiom Space is expected to launch in spring 2025, with Tibor Kapu on board.
‘After 20 years of left–liberal rule, Fidesz’s goal was to stimulate the creation of a much more balanced and pluralistic environment in all segments of society and a country less dependent on any form of foreign influence. In the eyes of ordinary Hungarians, none of the experiences described above called into question the benefits of EU and NATO membership or the conviction that Hungary’s place is in the West.’
‘Students have moved from being political change agents to being themselves the object of political change. Rather than imposing their ideas on the world, they are to obey edicts from radical lecturers and diversity officers. To accommodate these developments, objective measures of what students know are replaced by more subjective measures of their own personal and psychological development.’
Viktor Orbán underscored the dual nature of film as both an art form and an industry, emphasizing that while artistic freedom is essential, the state plays a crucial role in developing the film sector. Speaking at the inauguration of the National Film Institute’s new studio complex in Fót, he highlighted Hungary’s deep-rooted cinematic heritage and the government’s commitment to revitalizing the industry.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expressed his condolences to US President Donald Trump and the American people following the tragic collision between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter on Wednesday night in Washington, D.C. The disaster, which some are calling the deadliest commercial crash in US history, has left dozens feared dead.
CPAC Hungary 2025 will be taking place 29–30 May this year, Director General Miklós Szánthó for the Center for Fundamental Rights has announced at a press conference with American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp.
On Wednesday, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) finally broke through the firewall that German mainstream parties had imposed on them since the party’s foundation, securing a majority alongside the CDU on a motion for stricter migration rules. Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán welcomed the development in a post on his X account.
‘Besides all the bad news, there are sometimes good ones, too, even from difficult regions like the Middle East. After a long time, a new president has been elected in Lebanon,’ Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó commented on the election of Michael Aoun.
‘One is constantly reminded of Hallstein’s [Stresa] speech when analysing the turbulences of the recent years in Europe’s fields and countryside towns, occasionally bringing the distinct view of columns of tractors and piles of hay to the polished streets and thoroughfares of European capitals. And, out of the several farmers’ movements that have swept the EU since 2022, few dialogue so much with Hallstein as the Polish one.’
Elon Musk reacted to reports that Hungarian opposition media outlets were outraged over Trump’s decision to halt US foreign assistance, cutting off substantial grants previously provided by USAID and the US Embassy in Budapest. Sharing Balázs Orbán’s post, the US billionaire pointed out that these outlets were never truly independent to begin with.
On what basis did Israel conclude a ceasefire agreement with its enemy, Hamas? What does the Jewish state expect from Trump’s second term? Is a two-state solution possible? And what kind of ally has Hungary proven to be? An interview with Gideon Sa’ar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel.
‘Christianity from its beginnings has presented something new with regard to political life: a certain indifference, if I may put it that way, to the political regime. That is, it enjoins rendering unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s, and hence obeying one’s rulers so long as they do not demand sin, especially idolatry. These injunctions are founded on the faith that the City of God rather than the City of Man is man’s ultimate destiny.’
The Joint Action on REspiratory Diseases (JARED) initiative by the EU was launched in December 2024, with support from 14 Member States. The Korányi Institute of Pulmonology in Budakeszi, Hungary is the leading institution of the project. The initiative’s kick-off event was held in Budapest on 29 January 2025.
On Wednesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán concluded a historic two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, during which he held bilateral talks with UAE President Mohamed Bin Zayed. The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral relations in key areas, including investments, trade, energy, and security, as Hungary seeks to establish a strategic partnership with the Gulf nation.
The Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music will celebrate its 150th anniversary with Talent Day on 9 February, offering performances by students, open classes, lectures, and a grand symphonic concert in the evening. The event provides a rare opportunity to explore the academy’s musical excellence.
The 34th National Science and Innovation Olympiad (OTIO) has attracted a record number of participants, with 428 young competitors forming 296 teams, including 17 from beyond Hungary’s borders. Minister for Culture and Innovation Balázs Hankó highlighted the crucial role of innovation in boosting Hungary’s competitiveness.
The Austrian Private Universities Conference has protested at the Brussels’ decision to exclude Vienna-based Modul University from the Erasmus+ and Horizon programmes, citing the Hungarian ownership of the institution. The body has called on the European Commission to stop its politically motivated interference in the allocation of academic funding.
Hungarian workers are increasingly optimistic about their ability to weather unemployment, as revealed by a recent study from BNP Paribas Cardif and Medián. The findings show rising confidence in finding new jobs and improved financial preparedness among respondents.
Despite desperate efforts to capture the attention of the new US administration, Donald Trump’s foreign policy team does not appear interested in engaging with the European Union as a bloc. Instead, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has prioritized bilateral discussions with individual member states. This approach offers European nations an opportunity to reclaim their sovereign foreign policy, which has increasingly been overshadowed and taken over by Brussels in recent years, often against their will.
The Political Director of the Hungarian Prime Minister spoke at the 35th anniversary event for the Hungarian history periodical Rubicon. He discussed the end of the unipolar world order dominated by the United States, the EU in the new world oder and the new Trump administration’s novel approach to geopolitics.
‘Despite the different—and certainly debatable—approaches and priorities in specific policy areas, the fundamental objectives of conservative parties largely align. Public discourse and media representation in the West sometimes portray the self-determined policymaking of conservative governments in a polarized manner, focusing more on potentially divisive issues than on constructive dialogue.’
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.