About: Viktor Orbán
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.
Major political groups harbour corruption – Greens’ Freund
The major European political groups tolerate corruption and malfeasance among the member parties, says Green MEP Daniel Freund, who also analyses the weaknesses of instruments to fight the misuse of EU funds.
Hungary opposition pledge anti-Orbán 2022 election pact
Hungary's six largest opposition parties pledged Thursday (13 August) to form an unprecedented wide-ranging alliance to challenge Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the next general election in 2022.
Commission still assessing 2016 complaint into Hungarian media state aid
An investigation into state aid for Hungary's media sector is still being investigated by the European Commission four years after the complaint was first submitted, the EU executive confirmed today (27 July).
Illiberal democracy in Slovenia? Yes and no
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša is the strongest challenger to a status quo in which the left has been in power in the country for too long, writes Žiga Turk.
Budget Summit: How it happened
EU leaders are under pressure to reach a deal on the next Multiannual Financial Framework and the Recovery Fund as they are heading into their fourth day of negotiations.
The EU must stop funding illiberalism
Last week, we had the dubious pleasure of witnessing the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán team up with his Slovenian counterpart Janez Janša and the Serbian President Alexander Vučić. Their request? Asking to be “left alone”; apparently because they do not wish to be bothered by the European Union’s "cultural Marxism", writes Dacian Cioloș.
Slovenian PM calls for mandatory coronavirus app, against Commission advice
Coronavirus contact tracing applications should be made mandatory as a means of helping the European Union transition out of the public health crisis and open up its borders, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša said on Wednesday (8 July).
Top Hungary news site says independence in ‘grave danger’
The editor of Hungary's most popular news website warned Sunday (21 June) that a planned overhaul would jeopardise its freedom to publish stories critical of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government.
We can’t fall for Viktor Orbán’s masquerade
We should not be fooled by the latest development in Hungary - ending one state of danger, while simultaneously declaring another - represents the actions of an increasingly autocratic state, writes Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield.
Hungary set to end disputed emergency virus powers
Hungary is set to revoke Tuesday (16 June) anti-coronavirus emergency powers that triggered international criticism amid fears of a power grab by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Visegrad leaders call for ‘fair’ EU recovery fund
Four central European prime ministers called for a "fair" distribution of the EU's massive recovery fund on Thursday (11 June), at what has been dubbed the bloc's first major face-to-face political meeting since the coronavirus lockdown.
Visegrad leaders hold first face-to-face talks of virus crisis
Masks and gloves will be the order of the day when the prime ministers of four ex-communist countries on Thursday (11 June) hold the first major face-to-face meeting of European leaders since the coronavirus crisis.
Orbán urges end to EU sanctions on Belarus
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán urged the European Union to drop sanctions against Belarus as he met the ex-Soviet state's strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on Friday (5 June).
Ukraine is getting itself into US election troubles
Ukraine is losing friends: among other mistakes, by playing internal politics, the country’s President has taken sides in the US elections, which may be disastrous for the country in the future, writes Pavlo Fedykovych.
Hungary closes asylum-seeker camps after EU court ruling
Hungary said Thursday (21 May) it would close "transit zone" camps where hundreds of asylum seekers and migrants were held, following a ruling by EU's top court against their detention.
Orbán says prepared to hand back emergency powers at the end of May
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expects that his government will be able to give back to the national parliament at the end of May the sweeping powers enacted during the coronavirus crisis, state news agency MTI quoted him as saying during a visit to Serbia on Friday (15 May).
Tweets of the Week: Hungary Debate, Summer Holidays, Brexit Talks
Orban’s dictatorship makes MEPs mad, summer holidays would make everyone glad, and resumed Brexit talks are going pretty bad.
EPP proposes law to protect small farmers against oligarchs
The European People's Party group called on Wednesday (13 May) for an EU law to prevent oligarchs and land-grabbers drawing on EU subsidies at the expense of small and medium-sized farming businesses. The practice is widespread in countries in Eastern Europe and Italy.
Hungary summons Nordic diplomats over rule-by-decree row
Hungary summoned the ambassadors of four Nordic countries on Monday (11 May) over their countries' criticism of a controversial law that empowers Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to act by decree against the novel coronavirus.
Romanian EPP avoids Orban expulsion letter fearing border backlash
Romania’s National Liberal Party (PNL) has not joined a call of 13 centre-right leaders to expel Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party from the European People’s Party (EPP) fearing a backlash at the Romanian-Hungarian border, EURACTIV.com has learnt.