Ursula von der Leyen claims only voters decide a nation’s leaders—yet recent EU actions tell a very different story. From Romania’s annulled election to Germany’s institutional crackdown on AfD and France’s judicial assault on Marine Le Pen, the Union shows an increasingly authoritarian instinct that undermines democratic choice.
‘For the Budapest-centric circles I move in, the strategy paper consists mainly of familiar assumptions and positions.’
POLITICO Brussels reports that Belgium may soon be treated like Hungary—isolated, ignored and punished—simply for refusing Ursula von der Leyen’s EUR 165 billion Ukraine loan scheme. The message is unmistakable: in today’s EU, disagreement is no longer tolerated, and the system is shifting toward open coercion.
‘Some argue, however, that the EU’s “solidarity” pool is nothing but a punishment for those countries that handled migration well over the years.’
The EU has spent the past decade dismissing Hungary’s warnings about migration and sovereignty. Now Washington under Trump is sounding the same alarm, urging Europe to stop its downward spiral—but Brussels responds with indignation instead of introspection, accelerating its decline.
‘As part of the high-level meetings, Hungary and Türkiye also convened the first-ever session of the Hungarian–Turkish Consultation Mechanism, bringing together the foreign ministers, defence ministers and national security officials of both countries—a format Türkiye reserves only for its closest partners.’
The Danube Institute launched its new Turkic Western Engagement Initiative (TWEI) in Budapest on Tuesday with a high-profile conference exploring how the West and the Turkic world can deepen cooperation amid growing geopolitical volatility, with particular emphasis on Hungary’s strategic bridging role.
X is filled with videos of the Budapest Christmas lights, as well as the large outdoor festive market located near St Stephen’s Basilica.
The European Commission’s decision to fine X €120 million under the DSA has ignited the sharpest transatlantic clash since Trump returned to power. Musk called the penalty ‘bullsh*t’, while senior US officials warned the EU is undermining free speech and straining the foundations of the alliance.
The Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy warns that Europe is on a path toward ‘civilizational erasure’, urging EU governments to reverse course on mass migration and reclaim national sovereignty. The document explicitly backs Europe’s patriotic forces, signalling a coordinated push to reshape EU politics.