About: Hungary
Poland, Hungary propose two-track way out of EU budget deadlock
Poland and Hungary reaffirmed on Thursday (26 October) their opposition to tying EU finds with the rule of law in member states and instead offered their own proposal for breaking the deadlock that is holding back the EU's €1.81 trillion seven-year budget and the recovery fund.
Investors or professionals: How most Hungarian media helped discrimination
Media watchdogs have been sounding the alarm over the shrinking space for media pluralism in Viktor Orbán's Hungary. EURACTIV looks into how discrimination of ethnic and social minorities has evolved in the country and how the development of its media landscape also played a role.
Tweets of the Week: Rule of Law, Brexit mascot and vaccine efficacy claims
Hungary and Poland scupper rule of law aims, Brexit talks seem to be going down in flames, and vaccines efficacy sparks spurious claims!
Inconclusive video summit hashes over EU budget hurdle, vaccines
EU leaders said Thursday (19 November) they would intensify efforts to convince the Prime Ministers of Poland and Hungary to drop their veto of the EU coronavirus economic recovery plan, which has plunged the bloc into a new crisis.
EU warns Hungary against use of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine
Hungary's plans to import and possibly use Russia's touted Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine raise safety concerns and could damage trust in potential shots, the European Commission said, opening a new front in the EU's fraught relations with Budapest.
Row over rule of law infects EU virus summit
Hungary and Poland’s opposition to Brussels’ oversight over the rule of law will be top of the EU summit agenda Thursday (19 November), sidelining efforts to tackle the coronavirus epidemic. EU member states had planned to share the lessons learned...
Can EU save recovery plan from Hungarian-Polish blockade?
EU nations are again at loggerheads over their seven-year budget and coronavirus recovery plan, as Hungary and Poland attempt to block provisions tying payouts to upholding the rule of law.
Hungary’s fight against corruption ‘globally unsatisfactory’
Hungary has made no progress on implementing recommendations on corruption concerning members of parliament, judges and prosecutors, the Council of Europe's anti-graft body said in a report released on Tuesday (17 November).
Hungary’s ‘Trump before Trump’ PM Orban faces US reset
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is bracing for tougher treatment from a Joe Biden-led administration in Washington after his all-in bet on a win for President Donald Trump backfired.
Hungary and Poland veto stimulus against pandemic
Hungary and Poland blocked the approval of the EU’s seven-year budget and the recovery fund totalling €1.81 trillion, as both countries continued to oppose the rule of law mechanism attached to the EU funds.
Hungary’s Orban threatens EU budget veto over rule-of-law
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has threatened to veto an EU accord linking the bloc's long-term budget to a mechanism requiring countries to uphold Europe's democracy rules, according to an EU source on Sunday (8 November).
The EU’s Rule of Law Approach Explained
EU leaders are fond of talking about the bloc’s values but a much more fundamental question is whether we should have common rules about the way in which our governments are built, how power is exercised and maintained in check....
EU Commission to stay out of Ukraine-Hungary row
The recent tensions over Hungary's election interference in Ukraine, which have led Budapest to threaten to block Kyiv's Euro-Atlantic integration efforts, should be resolved bilaterally, a Commissions spokesperson said on Tuesday, (27 October).
A warning to the guardians
The European Commission, as the guardian of the Treaties, is responsible for ensuring that member states duly implement EU law. If a country fails to comply, the Commission may launch a lengthy infringement procedure. András Kristóf Kádár takes a look at how this has been applied to Hungary.
Rule of law warriors are not promoting European values, they’re pushing a political agenda
The idea of a rule of law mechanism in the EU is hopelessly half-baked. Rule of law warriors are unable to define or measure what they mean, they are simply waging an ideological battle, argues Zoltán Kovács.
Viktor Orbán under fire as virus second wave bites
As the second coronavirus wave bites, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán -- who shut the borders in September -- is holding back on tougher measures such as a lockdown, despite growing criticism of his response.
The nature of power in an illiberal system
Viktor Orbán’s illiberal state uses democracy and the rule of law as decors of a system which contains no real limitation to the exercise of power. In order to assess the situation of the rule of law in such systems, we must examine the effective functioning of institutions in place, writes Anna Donáth.
Poland and Hungary score against Commission over taxes
The EU Court of Justice’s advocate general dismissed on Thursday (15 October) the European Commission’s appeal about Poland and Hungary’s tax regimes and recommended upholding the verdict in favour of the two eastern member states.
Hungary breached obligations to uphold academic freedom, EU top court ruled
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) struck down on Tuesday (6 October) the Hungarian education law that had pushed the university funded by American billionaire George Soros to move out of Budapest. The court said this ran contrary to the principle of academic freedom as well as the freedom to conduct business and provide services.
COVID-19: an excuse for increased digital surveillance?
To monitor the spread of the new coronavirus, EU member states have taken additional surveillance measures at the expense of fundamental rights. EURACTIV France reports.
EU must openly discuss Turkey sanctions, says Austria’s EU minister
At the next European summit, Austria wants to speak openly about sanctions against Ankara, including the possibility to break off accession talks with Turkey, the country's EU Minister Karoline Edtstadler told EURACTIV Germany.
Von der Leyen: European values are not for sale
In her first State of the Union speech, delivered on Wednesday (16 September), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen positioned herself as a bulwark against the unravelling of EU values that is already underway in many of the member states.
Hungary says it will be only EU country to send minister to Israel-UAE accord signing
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó will be the only EU diplomatic leader to attend the signing ceremony on Tuesday in Washington for the Israel-United Arab Emirates peace deal, his spokesman said on Sunday (13 September).