An informal European Union summit convened in Granada, Spain, took an unexpected turn when the Prime Ministers of Hungary and Poland blocked a joint EU declaration on migration. The two leaders compelled delegates to omit a passage regarding member countries' views on migration from the carefully crafted declaration that had been in the works for […]
In a strategic move to secure Hungary's support for increased financial assistance to Ukraine and the initiation of membership talks for Kyiv, the European Union is contemplating the release of frozen funds worth billions of euros, sources within the EU have revealed. The European Commission is currently preparing to unfreeze substantial EU funds allocated to […]
The United States tightened visa-free access for Hungarians to its territory amid security concerns stemming from the policies of the Hungarian government. Washington’s move comes after several previous threats that it will limit travel opportunities for Hungarian citizens. Bilateral relations between the United States and Hungary took a turn for the worse after Washington announced […]
Hungarian lawmakers will vote on Sweden’s NATO accession bid after parliament’s summer recess the earliest as the issue has not been put on the agenda of the last session before the summer break. Hungary is the only EU member state not to ratify Sweden’s bid after the latter’s criticism of eroding democratic values and a […]
The Hungarian law forcing migrants to seek asylum abroad is illegal, the EU’s top court ruled. Budapest violated EU asylum laws by forcing people to first go to Hungarian embassies in Serbia and Ukraine before initiating a claim for international protection, the European Court of Justice said. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled this […]
A top Republican senator is blocking an arms deal between the US and Hungary over the latter’s delay of ratifying Sweden NATO accession. The move is testament to the continuous souring of relations between Washington and Budapest due to Hungary’s stance over the war in Ukraine. Senator James E. Risch, the top Republican on the […]
A resolution adopted by the European Parliament questions Hungary’s ability to fulfill the rotating EU presidency in a credible manner given the backsliding of rule of law in the country. Budapest dismissed the non-binding resolution as political pressuring and is convinced that the Hungarian presidency will take place as planned. Hungary is set to assume […]
The Hungarian central bank kicked off a cautious monetary easing cycle while stressing its commitment to combatting inflation, which is the highest in Europe. Analyst expect policy makers to proceed gradually and halt rate cuts if the economic and financial backdrop deteriorates. The National Bank of Hungary cut interest rates this week, becoming the first […]
A delegation of the European Parliament’s Budgetary Control committee concluded a fact-finding visit in Budapest this week. The members of the European Parliament (MEPs looked into ongoing issues with the protection of the EU budget and met with Hungarian public officials, NGOs and journalists. The group of European Union (EU) lawmakers visiting Budapest expressed concerns […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
