Hungarian lawmakers adopted changes to the country’s judiciary in the hope of gaining access to billions of euros in EU funds. While Brussels welcomed the reform steps, it indicated Hungary needed further reforms to unlock EU cash. Hungarian lawmakers passed measured related to the reform of the judiciary this week in the hopes of unlocking […]

Hungarian Parliament has authorized the government to extend the state of emergency due to the war between Russia and Ukraine until November 25 this year. Thus, the government can continue to rule by decree for another six months. The amendment to the law “on the prevention and management of the consequences of the armed conflict […]

Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Hungary on a three day trip to demonstrate his commitment to building up a more fraternal society in a Europe wounded by war. Immigration and minority rights will also be on his agenda, issues on which the pontiff and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have divergent views. The official visit […]

Hungary’s government announced a ban on the import of grain, oilseeds, and several other products from Ukraine and later expanded the list of banned items, citing market pressures on Hungarian farmers. Budapest called for "progressive" aid from the EU to help move Ukrainian grain through central European countries where farmers are competing with cheaper imports. […]

Hungary’s deteriorating relations with the US took a turn for the worse as Washington announced a series of sanctions against Russia that also affected Hungary. This was the first time since the start of the war in Ukraine that an entity based in Hungary, a NATO and EU member, was sanctioned. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Viktor […]

The Hungarian government initially pledged to complete the most important tasks needed to release the funds withheld by the European Union by March 31, this ultimately failed. Brussels is seeking clarification on several issues related to the judicial reform and Hungary has yet to tackle the conflict of interest rules in the Erasmus case. If […]

Hungarian Parliament was the last but one of NATO member states to give its assent to Finland's accession to NATO late on Monday afternoon, adopting the proposal to ratify Finland's application for NATO membership, which was submitted to Parliament more than eight months ago. Members of the Hungarian Parliament approved the law on the proclamation […]

Hungarian lawmakers are delaying a crucial vote on the NATO accession bid of Finland and Sweden in a move that analysts believe is designed to exert pressure on the EU. The Union has frozen billions of euros in funding destined to Hungary over rule of law concerns and Budapest may be playing quid for pro […]

Hungary’s healthcare system has been in dire need of reform for decades but an all-encompassing solution is yet to be presented. The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has launched several measures over recent years to address issues in healthcare but the latest steps have provoked significant resistance from doctors. Late last year, the government […]

In his annual ‘State of the Nation’ address this afternoon, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán discussed a wide range of issues, including his government’s stance on the war in Ukraine, the fight against inflation, and the biggest dangers facing Hungary in the next few years. On questions impacting Hungary’s future the most, PM Orbán said that […]

Hungary's government is ready to sue the European Commission over the latter’s decision to cut off some Hungarian universities from EU funding. The move is part of a larger EU action package aimed at forcing Hungary to remedy measures related to judiciary independence, academic freedoms, LGBT rights and the asylum system. The EU announced this […]

Hungary struck a mega deal with the European Union this week to reduce the amount of funds the bloc proposed to freeze. In return, the Hungarian government lifted its veto on the financial aid package for Ukraine. Monday night brought a temporary resolution to Hungary’s biggest standoff with the European Union. Member states approved Hungary’s […]

Democracy remains the most important value EU citizens want Parliament to stand up for. 72% of respondents (78% in Hungary) believe their country has benefited from being an EU member, according to a new Eurobarometer survey. Democracy, human rights and free speech are paramount to EU citizens as they call on the European Parliament to […]

The Committee of Permanent Representatives to the EU has found the required qualified majority to impose measures for the protection of the Union budget against the consequences of breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary, concerning public procurement, the effectiveness of prosecutorial action and the fight against corruption in Hungary. The […]

A new government decree has been published in the Hungarian Gazette, according to which the Hungarian government, citing the state of war, has authorised itself to rewrite the budget without the approval of Parliament. According to the decree, the provisions of the law on public finances "on the preparation, structure and content of the central […]