Hungarian Conservative

By Wednesday evening it became clear that the Polish Law and Justice (PiS) party would not join Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s new right-wing alliance, Patriots for Europe. Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party is showing a growing willingness to do so, which could set off an avalanche of changes from which Orbán could only emerge victorious.

Among the performers over the four days of the festival are Marshmello, Paul Kalkbrenner, Timmy Trumpet, James Hype, Purple Disco Machine, and from the underground scene, Amelie Lens, Adam Beyer, Marceo Plex, Stephan Bodzin, and Nico Moreno.

According to the citation, the music of Transylvania-born acclaimed Hungarian composer György Kurtág (98) delves into the existential questions of the human soul, focusing on fundamental emotions such as love, sorrow, fear, anxiety, despair, and the desire for harmony and reconciliation. From short piano works to large-scale cantatas and operas, Kurtág’s art reflects the entire history of Western music, past and present. His influence on numerous musicians is remarkable, and his dedication to music and structural thinking serves as a beacon of humanity in the world of contemporary classical music.

The WHO found in a recent survey that physical activity done by adults has decreased by five per cent worldwide between 2010 and 2022. Meanwhile, in Hungary, the number of recreational athletes has nearly quadrupled in the last decade.

Hungary is a country rich in sporting talent, which is also evident within the Hungarian Defence Forces: their parachute team is among the world’s elite, as stated by Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Tamás Vargha on Wednesday in Szolnok.

‘The Hungarian presidency has just begun, but every opportunity is being seized to obstruct it, as it offers the Hungarian government the chance to present its vision of an alternative Europe to the entire continent,’ the Center for Fundamental Rights stress in their analysis. They also note that the Hungarian PM’s visit to Kyiv took the international press by surprise, as the liberal media has consistently and falsely portrayed Hungary’s stance as pro-Russian from the start, a claim that Viktor Orbán has now clearly disproved.

One of the key pillars of the state-funded John von Neumann programme is the development of science parks. The newly inaugurated pilot research laboratory at the University of Debrecen, where pharmaceutical development and small-scale production activities will be conducted in a biosafety level 2 (BSL2) work environment, was built with a grant from the programme.

The acquisition allows GLS to offer fulfilment services to its customers both within Hungary and beyond. The aim of GLS is to expand its range of activities and opportunities, with outsourced e-commerce logistics serving as a key growth area, the company said in a statement released today.

‘Hungary is preparing for an exceptionally active EU Presidency,’ Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán notes in an opinion piece published by the Financial Times. In the article Orbán outlines the priorities of the Hungarian EU Presidency, with a particular focus on boosting European competitiveness.

While speaking at a public administration conference in Tata, Hungary, Minister for Regional Development and Public Administration Tibor Navracsics spoke of the ‘paradigm shift’ digitalization is bringing to Hungarian public administration. However, he also stressed that digital administration does not mean replacing government offices or the physical presence of public administrations, but rather expanding services.

Bence Rétvári reported that thanks to the activities of the so-called Kiber 300 group established by the police a year and a half ago, 819 suspects have been interrogated, and the court has ordered the arrest of 114 individuals. Overall, there has been a 30 per cent reduction in online fraud over the past six months.

More than 20 cyclists will represent Hungary, for whom the event is important to accumulate international ranking points. The slow start of the Hungarian stage will take place on Saturday at Carl Lutz quay, in front of the Vogue event ship, and after a sharp start in Budakeszi, the peloton will cover 138.5 kilometres to the finish line set up at the Pannonhalma Abbey.

As of today bottles, PET bottles, and aluminium cans can no longer be placed on the market in Hungary without a return deposit logo. Also from today three thousand REpont machines are becoming operational, mostly in the largest retail stores, while in a thousand smaller shops or kiosks consumers will be able to return the bottles manually.

Although no Hungarian films have been selected for the competition, there will still be Hungarian connections. According to the festival programme, Slovak–Czech co-production Emma and the Death’s-Head Hawkmoth directed by Bratislava-based Iveta Grófová, will compete for the main prize. One of the lead roles is played by Hungarian actress Alexandra Borbély, who was born in Nyitra (Nitra), Slovakia.

Semmelweis University is Hungary’s best and most popular medical and health science higher education institution, ranked among the world’s top 300. One-third of the 16,000 students are foreign nationals from 115 countries, and the university has active collaborations with leading Western and Eastern universities around the world, including Harvard University and the National University of Singapore, Gábor Orbán, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for National Health Care and Medical Education highlighted at the ceremony.

On Sunday, 30 June 2024 Prime Minister Viktor Orbán declared that a new era in European politics has begun. At a press conference held jointly with Herbert Kickl and Andrej Babiš PM Orbán outlined the vision for a revamped European political alliance. The new political family aims to reshape the landscape of European governance and address the pressing issues faced by the continent, the Hungarian prime minister said.

At the Union’s Representative Council (SZKT) meeting in Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca) on Thursday, the RMDSZ president stated that the alliance is the only credible representative of Hungarians in Transylvania. He explained that the RMDSZ serves as a tool for Hungarian advocacy and as an organizer for the Hungarian community in Transylvania, with over 90 per cent of votes for Hungarian parties going to RMDSZ candidates in this year’s local elections.

The SpaceBuzz-HU, which allows for virtual space travel, is part of an educational programme demonstrating the fragility of our planet and will be made available to Hungarian schools free of charge.

In a recent article, POLITICO Brussels criticizes Hungary for its close economic ties with China but fails to mention that one of the main sponsors of Euro 2024 in Germany is the Chinese company BYD. In fact, the number one trading partner of the host Germans in 2023 was none other than China.

Hungary was able to launch its national astronaut programme, Hunor, thanks to the cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (KKM) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Under this programme, the Hungarian astronaut will carry out national projects on the International Space Station.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index 2024, Budapest is in the top five in the category of cities that have improved the most over the past twelve months. The Hungarian capital scored 92.0 out of 100 points, moving up seven places to rank 32nd.

In its country report on Hungary, the IMF proposes the same measures to ‘recover’ the Hungarian economy that brought the country to the brink of collapse in 2008. In his Facebook post, Balázs Orbán stressed: ‘We won’t ask for it again, thank you!’

Despite being heavy favourites going into the game, Portugal ended up having been beaten by Georgia in the final round of the group stage at Euro 2024. This resulted in Hungary falling out of the top four third-place finishers in the groups, thus failing to advance to the round of 16.

Chery Automotive, the fifth-largest automotive company in China and the largest Chinese exporter, is arriving in Hungary with the Omoda series. The car will be on Hungarian roads from September, with Omoda showrooms also opening in the same month at eight locations across the country.

Nearly three weeks after the European elections, it remains unclear which right-wing political group the Hungarian governing party, Fidesz, will join in the new European Parliament. In this analysis, we examine the possible alternatives and attempt to answer this question.

The 110th anniversary of Hungarian animation is the featured theme of this year’s Budapest Classic Film Marathon, taking place from 17 September to 2 October for the seventh time. Besides animated works, the marathon will feature over a hundred restored classics and long-unseen film treasures across ten programme blocks.

The Ratha-yātrā Chariot Festival will be held for the 28th time in Budapest this Saturday; it will later merge with the India Festival held in City Park on the same day. The programmes are free to attend.

Rally Hungary set a goal to improve the event’s environmental performance, which was so successful that it received the FIA’s two-star rating (three stars being the maximum) in 2024.

Mattia Zaccagni’s last-minute banger gave the Hungarian national team a better chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of the European Championship in Germany. If England beat Slovenia tonight, the Hungarian team will advance to the last 16 of the continental tournament.

Alan Walker’s newly announced European tour will include a stop in the Hungarian capital of Budapest. The 26-year-old Norwegian DJ-producer, known for partially covering his face on stage, will perform at the László Papp Budapest Sports Arena on 12 March 2025.