Hungary’s labour market continues to show remarkable strength, surpassing the European Union average in employment rates. In the final quarter of 2024 Hungary ranked sixth in employment among both men and women, reflecting consistent growth since the country’s employment turnaround in 2010.
‘The current course [of the EU] leads straight to disintegration,’ Balázs Orbán pointed out in his keynote address at an event at Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) in Budapest, focusing on the recently published joint report by MCC and the Polish Ordo Iuris Institute on the urgent need for EU reform. Orbán’s speech was followed by a panel discussion featuring the report’s authors, Jerzy Kwaśniewski of Ordo Iuris and Rodrigo Ballester of MCC, alongside Director General of the Center for Fundamental Rights Miklós Szánthó.
The long-awaited release of classified documents related to the assassination of President John F Kennedy has begun, with over 80,000 pages now available to the public. Following Donald Trump’s directive, the National Archives has published the files unredacted, marking a major step toward historical transparency.
The Hungarian oil company MOL has announced that they discovered a new oil deposit 4,100 feet (1,250 metres) below ground in Western Hungary, near the village of Somogysámson. The deposit is able to produce up to 1,200 barrels of crude oil per day.
The leader of Belgium’s most important Flemish nationalist movement in decades has been put in charge of a right-leaning coalition in the country he once vowed to split.
Hungary and India are set to strengthen their ties with the launch of Wizz Air’s direct Budapest–Mumbai flight this year, operating daily. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced the development in New Delhi, highlighting its potential to boost trade, tourism, and diplomatic relations.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza, lasted for two months. Currently, 59 hostages are still awaiting their release as Israel has once again resorted to military action against the terrorist organization.
As the Trump administration reshapes transatlantic relations, Hungary has a unique opportunity to position itself as a key player in the new order.
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed on a partial ceasefire and the immediate launch of a new round of talks to end the war in Ukraine. The current deal applies to energy and infrastructure on both sides. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó welcomed the news, warning the EU not to undermine the peace process.
TV legend Chris Hansen, best known for his segment To Catch a Predator on Dateline NBC in the mid-2000s, has recently caught an illegal alien from Mexico trying to have sex with a 15-year-old sex traffic victim in his latest investigation. He went on Jesse Watters Primetime to talk about the outrageous case.
Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó stated that Hungary firmly rejects Ukraine’s fast-track EU accession, especially if it comes at the expense of the Transcarpathian Hungarian community. For the past ten years, Kyiv has gradually curtailed the rights of national minorities, including Transcarpathian Hungarians.
Hungary’s family support policies have attracted international attention, with US leaders praising them as exemplary. Following her visit to Washington, Secretary of State for Families Zsófia Koncz highlighted the country’s comprehensive approach to supporting families, which has contributed to rising birth rates and economic stability.
According to reporting by POLITICO, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó of Hungary to have the Hungarian government lift its veto on the renewal of sanctions on Russia by the EU. Hungary eventually did refrain from using its veto power, and thus the sanctions have been renewed for another six months.
Hungarian business and government leaders are ramping up efforts to integrate artificial intelligence into the economy. Discussions between the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and government officials highlighted AI’s potential to enhance business efficiency, while new collaborations in the defence sector will focus on AI-driven technological advancements.
Hungarian officials signal potential legal consequences over USAID funding in Hungary. Government commissioner András László, after meeting US State Department officials, said many projects raise suspicions of political interference and legal actions will be examined. Meanwhile, Fidesz parliamentary leader Máté Kocsis proposed a constitutional amendment allowing the expulsion of dual citizens if their activities threaten Hungary’s sovereignty.
‘On the day the US temporarily halted military aid to Ukraine, Kellogg delivered a speech at CFR in Washington, DC. He emphasized that Ukraine had several opportunities to sign the US–Ukraine $500 billion Minerals Deal, including during his visit to Kyiv on 19 February and during Zelenskyy’s last trip to Washington, which is unlikely to be remembered as a successful diplomatic effort.’
Széchenyi István University in Győr has become the first higher education institution in Europe to receive the Light UAS Operator Certificate (LUC). The accreditation allows the university to conduct drone operations independently, significantly enhancing its research and development capabilities.
‘There is a historic chance for US–Hungary relations to peak, and it depends in no small part on the two leading players. Even though Hungary is a member of the EU and NATO, in the last two decades, American Democratic administrations have been explicitly hostile towards it…With the US president behind him, Orbán could be much more effective in strengthening his conservative agenda in Brussels, which until now has been an uphill struggle.’
X user Inevitable West has posted about Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary’s new income tax exemption for mothers, also writing: ‘every European nation must do this.’ The post has received over 110,000 likes within 24 hours.
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are set to hold talks on Tuesday over a potential ceasefire deal between Ukraine and Russia, which Kyiv has already accepted, while Moscow remains cautious. As peace talks progress, the positions of the involved parties are shifting rapidly: Ukraine no longer views the lifting of Western sanctions on Russia as a red line, and some European leaders are now openly discussing the normalization of relations with Moscow.
Liu Shaoang secured third place in the 1500m final on the first medal day of the ISU World Short Track Championships in Beijing on 15 March, earning China its first medal at the competition. Along with his brother, Liu Shaolin Sándor, he previously represented Hungary on the world stage, making sports history by winning the country’s first-ever gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 2018.
‘The starting point is that the European Union is facing a deep crisis, more than ever, because it’s increasingly bureaucratic, increasingly centralized, increasingly authoritarian, and less and less competitive….And since sooner or later you will have a reform of the treaties, our idea was to be ready to participate in this debate. How do we do that? With this report, which contains two scenarios.’
‘The final assessment in terms of the policy of appeasement would be that at the diplomatic and political level, the allies did indeed achieve their goals of buying time, mobilizing, as well as isolating Germany in the first months of the war from either Japan or Italy. They made Germany dependent on Soviet resources to sustain short-term operations, and pushed its economy on the brink of collapse.’
Hungary has introduced a retail profit margin cap limiting markups to a maximum of 10 per cent for around 1,000 essential food products across 30 categories. The regulation, effective from Monday, aims to curb rising food prices and protect household budgets.
Hungarian company Q-Automotive Ltd and the University of Szeged (SZTE) are developing a home-compostable biopolymer-based packaging material supported by Hungary’s National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH). The project aims to reduce environmental impact through sustainable innovation.
Hungary is committed to keeping its top researchers in the country by providing them with opportunities and support. The opening of the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network’s new headquarters marks a strategic victory in this effort, recognizing the contributions of Hungarian scientists.
‘Hungary’s unique historical background and geographic location make it a harbinger of fresh geopolitical guidelines, political standards and new norms. The country’s pragmatism in international relationships and capacity to preserve its strategic autonomy while still engaging with world bodies provide important inspiration for countries negotiating the challenges of modern global politics.’
‘As documented in multiple historical works, Salgó was a state security agent codenamed “György Sárvári”, who reported on people he knew, most notably, Sándor Scheiber. While we do not intend to absolve him of his actions, certain documents may help readers gain a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the story.’
András Berkesi wrote a multitude of spy stories and adventure novels, becoming one of the star authors of the era, and was also awarded the Attila József Prize. Officially, no one has ever held him accountable for torturing, humiliating, and handing over people to the Russians to be taken to the gulag.
‘Their achievements in the following years are also remarkable because they worked in a complete vacuum, relying only on their own research and calculations. By March 1944 Bay’s team had reached the point where they could target the “locating” of the Moon—that is, capturing microwave signals reflected from the Moon’s surface.’