About: Viktor Orbán
Hungary reaches deal to buy China’s Sinopharm vaccine
Hungary's government said it has reached a deal with China's Sinopharm to buy its coronavirus vaccine, the country's latest move to break away from Brussels as it tries to speed up inoculations to lift curbs on the economy.
Europe’s right-wing populists beat about the bush after US Capitol assault
Most European leaders condemned last week's storming of the US Capitol by pro-Trump activists. Meanwhile, Europe's far-right leaders, which so far have sympathised with Trump, are balancing between condemnation and self-protection.
Hungary cools on Russian COVID jab, scolds EU on vaccines
Hungary is unlikely to use Russia's coronavirus vaccine due to its limited production capacity, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Sunday (3 January) while criticising the EU's vaccine acquisition approach.
‘It’s not gonna work’, Orbán says about Polish veto retreat
Hungary and Poland have committed to supporting each other's position in the budget row, and attaching a declaration to the rule of law regulation does not work for Budapest, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a weekly radio interview on Friday (4 December), following news that Poland may be softening its position on the veto.
Viktor Orban condemns MEP over ‘gay orgy’, Donald Tusk hints at expelling Fidesz from EPP
Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orbán condemned an MEP from his Fidesz party on Wednesday who quit after attending an alleged "gay orgy", while EPP chief Donald Tusk hinted Fidesz doesn't belong the European central-right political family.
Caught in gay ‘sex party’ in Brussels, Fidesz MEP resigns
Hungarian MEP József Szájer apologised on Tuesday (1 December) following reports that he was caught trying to flee what was described as a 25-man gay orgy last Friday that was shut down by Brussels police for breaching COVID restrictions on large gatherings.
Hungary culture chief condemned for comparing Soros to Hitler
A government-appointed cultural official in Hungary has been condemned for comparing liberal billionaire George Soros to Hitler in an article about Hungary and Poland's row with the EU over rule of law.
Tweets of the Week: Christmas Brexit Plenary, BlackRock, Orban v Clooney and Maradona
Christmas plenary plans are not much to applaud, Blackrock contract inherently flawed, Orban versus Clooney leaves us all slack jawed, and we bid farewell to the Hand of God.
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.
Hungarian, Polish PMs to discuss EU budget veto
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will hold talks with his Polish counterpart in Budapest Thursday (26 November) on their recent EU budget veto, as Orbán suggested a possible solution to the row.
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.
Greek official: Rule of law discussion is ‘bigger than the EPP’
Hungary and Poland's opposition to Brussels' oversight of the rule of law and their vetoes over the long-term EU budget and the coronavirus recovery fund are symptomatic of bigger problems in the EU that go beyond the divisions within the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), a Greek government official told EURACTIV.
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...
Slovenia PM backs Hungary, Poland in EU rule of law row
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa on Wednesday (18 November) backed the criticisms made by Poland and Hungary when they vetoed the EU budget over plans to tie funding to respect for the rule of law. “Some political groups… are openly...
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 ‘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’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....
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.
Tweets of the Week: EU v UK, Jourova v Orban, Vivaldi Government
Commission takes UK to court, spat erupts as Orban falls short, and Belgium finally has a government... of a sort.
In Brussels, Visegrad countries reject the EU’s migration plan
Four Eastern European countries rejected the EU's latest plans for handling migrants on Thursday (24 September), after talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels, and insisted that the plans for tougher new asylum rules do not go far enough.