Hungary is set to implement Europe’s most extensive tax reduction programme, benefiting nearly one million families. The initiative expands personal income tax exemptions and doubles child tax allowances, ensuring substantial financial support for parents.
Hungarian Magnitsky Act, the appointment of a special envoy to Washington to collect evidence of USAID’s meddling in Hungary, and Europe’s largest tax cut—these are just a few of the vast initiatives Viktor Orbán announced in his annual State of the Nation speech. Highlighting Hungary’s political resilience, the Hungarian PM declared that 2025 would mark not just survival but victory, describing it as a ‘breakthrough year’.
‘Without culture, Eliot argues, there is no point at all in being human, and it is culture that justifies the content of our existence on Earth for the generations that follow us. “Culture may even be described simply as that which makes life worth living. And it is what justifies other peoples and other generations in saying…that it was worth while for that civilisation to have existed.”’
‘Whether through Scripture, the teachings of the Church, or life experience, Christians learn that no relationship or physical place makes them truly at home. For Christians, it has always been challenging to find the right balance between our hope in Jesus Christ and His coming kingdom and our vocations as citizens, spouses…In their articles in The European Conservative, Audrey Unverferth and Rod Dreher highlight important points about family, community and home.’
On 12 September 1949 Eduard Landauer, a well-known figure of the Budapest elite for decades, was arrested. At the trial of the lawyer, who had been accused several times before, his accusers did everything they could to find him guilty. His petition for clemency was rejected and the death sentence was carried out on 27 May 1950.
‘According to the Chinese zodiac, 2025 is the year of the snake, which symbolizes change and transformation. It thus may not be a coincidence that Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise to bring about drastic changes in Washington, commenced his second term as President of the United States in this epochal year.’
‘As Christoph Heusgen said, under the Biden regime, Washington and Brussels shared a “common value base”—apart from all those many continental voters and nations who did not share this same identikit set of leftist moral values, who had to be made to do so by means perhaps best described as “meddling in European democracy”.’
Zsuzsa has lived most of her life in Hungary, while Gyula grew up in the United States. They have known each other for only about 15 years, but since their first meeting in Budapest they have been driven by common social goals: strengthening cultural and economic ties between America and Hungary.
‘By rediscovering fundamental needs and values, we will eventually rediscover the need and motivation for having more children. This is a collective project that involves, first of all, ordinary people, philosophers, the church, artists, psychologists, and the government.’
Germany is set to hold parliamentary elections on Sunday, 23 February, which, given the country’s role in Europe, could redefine the future of the entire continent. After an extremely intensive campaign, Germans have two choices: punish the mainstream for years of flawed governance that has resulted in an unprecedented internal security crisis, or continue down a destructive path.
Political Director for the Prime Minister of Hungary Balázs Orbán has appeared on the show Mornings with Maria hosted by Maria Bartiromo, where he shared his optimism about the recently started diplomatic negotiations between the United States and Russia regarding the potential end to the Russo–Ukrainian war.
The Library Challenge programme has successfully promoted reading, library usage, and community engagement across Hungary, as seen in towns like Kétpó and Tomajmonostora. With rising membership and book borrowing figures, local libraries are becoming key cultural hubs.
Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 has just become the highest-grossing animated movie in history, aiming to surpass James Cameron’s Avatar as the most successful film of all time. With stunning visuals and a narrative deeply rooted in Chinese mythology and philosophy, Ne Zha 2 has also emerged as a symbol of patriotism and national pride—at the expense of Captain America.
Reigning Hungarian champions Ferencváros won the first leg of their tie against Viktoria Plzeň 1–0 at home. However, they lost the rematch 3–0 on the road, thus it was the Czech side Plzeň who got to qualify to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League.
Kunsthalle’s latest exhibition, ‘Vision, Gesture, Experiment — 111 Years of Hungarian Animation’, offers an in-depth exploration of the nation’s animation history, showcasing its most influential creators and films. Open from Friday, the exhibition highlights the genre’s artistic evolution and interdisciplinary significance.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated in a radio interview on public Kossuth Radio that his government’s budget strategy depended on the outcome of the US presidential election. He criticized foreign influence in European politics and reaffirmed Hungary’s commitment to economic stability and national sovereignty.
Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2025 has just kicked off, with US Vice President JD Vance headlining the first full day of the event. Besides Vance, political director of the Hungarian prime minister Balázs Orbán also took to the stage on Thursday. The conference will conclude with US President Donald Trump’s speech on Saturday.
‘Data sovereignty is increasingly critical in global politics, and controlling a substantial portion of Europe’s data infrastructure would give Hungary greater leverage in international affairs. If policymakers take this sector seriously, Hungary can emerge as a leader in data storage, making it indispensable to Europe’s digital economy.’
‘People generally agree that no human society is “without culture”. The concept has been defined in many different ways. The first appearance of the term culture is attributed to Cicero, who used the word in the sense of “cultivation of the soul”…only at the beginning of the 19th century did it acquire the meaning that can be described as “learning and taste, the intellectual side of civilization”.’
Western European leaders were quick to rally behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Donald Trump called him a dictator. However, those same leaders remained completely silent when, almost exactly one year ago, former US President Joe Biden accused Viktor Orbán of building a dictatorship in Hungary
According to a recent poll by CBS News, 2 percentage points more people identify as Republican in the United States than Democrat. By comparison, when President Trump was starting his first term in 2017, Democrats had a five-point edge over the GOP in the same survey.
According to recently released data by the Central Statistical Office (KSH), 29 per cent fewer new apartments were built in Hungary in 2024 than in the year prior. The total number of new apartments built was 13,295 in the country last year.
Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó described his meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington as ‘very positive’. The two officials addressed bilateral trade and investment, as well as sensitive topics such as the Biden administration’s sanctions on a senior Hungarian government official and the reinstatement of the double taxation avoidance agreement between the two countries.
On 18 February 2025 Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in Hungary at the invitation of President of the Republic of Hungary Tamás Sulyok. According to Sulyok, a strong Israel is essential both for the fight against antisemitism and for a secure future for the Middle East and Europe. The Hungarian head of state emphasized that there is an ongoing dialogue between Hungary and Israel and that there are no problematic issues.
E.ON Hungária is preparing 3,200 nesting sites for storks this year, installing 100 new nest holders and upgrading existing structures to ensure safer breeding conditions. The company is also investing in bird-friendly power grid modifications to protect various bird species.
The Hungarian government has pledged new reforms to strengthen protections for women following a high-profile domestic violence case that led to public outcry. Government spokesperson Eszter Vitályos emphasized the administration’s commitment to ensuring no cry for help goes unanswered.
The first two of the ten episodes of the new historical drama series Rise of the Raven will air on TV2 at 8pm on 8 March. The show centres around John Hunyadi, a military leader and statesman in the Kingdom of Hungary in the 15th century, who was a key figure in fighting back against the Ottoman invasion of Europe.
‘Mr Khan also took the unusual step of convening a “panel of experts” in January 2024 “to support the evidence review and legal analysis” related to the Gaza case. After this, he announced his pursuit of arrest warrants as the panellists unanimously recommended that he do so. However, it seems that the outcome was already determined beforehand.’
A large-scale digital skills assessment conducted across the Visegrád countries and Ukraine highlights improvements among students but also reveals gaps in problem-solving and algorithmic thinking. The IT Fitness Test results suggest that while basic digital literacy is strong, advanced skills require further development.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, about two-third of Germany’s eight brigades were combat-ready. According to Head of the German Armed Forces Association Colonel Andre Wuestner, that figure has declined to roughly 50 per cent due to the export of weapons and equipment to Ukraine.