All posts tagged: Budapest

Commission delegation heads to Budapest to negotiate release of EU funds – POLITICO

Commission delegation heads to Budapest to negotiate release of EU funds – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Magyar’s landslide victory has given Tisza a supermajority in parliament, with which it can pass sweeping reforms aimed at restoring judicial independence, academic freedom and media pluralism, reversing years of democratic backsliding. The prime minister-elect’s ultimate goal is to unlock more than €30 billion in EU funds that Brussels froze due to rule-of-law concerns. He is under particular pressure to release around €10 billion in Covid-19 recovery funds that expire at the end of August this year. The Budapest meeting follows a phone call between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Magyar on Tuesday, where the two discussed “immediate priorities,” the commission chief said on X. “There is swift work to be done to restore, realign and reform,” she wrote. “Restore the rule of law. Realign with our shared European values. And reform, to unlock the opportunities offered by European investments.” After the call, Magyar said both had “agreed that unlocking the EU funds earmarked for the Hungarian people” and that “the Commission will work closely with us to meet the extremely tight deadline …

At a concert in Budapest, anti-Orbán sentiments take center stage ahead of election : NPR

At a concert in Budapest, anti-Orbán sentiments take center stage ahead of election : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

At a concert in Budapest, musicians and concertgoers express criticism of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s leadership. ROB SCHMITZ, HOST: This week in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, crowds gathered for a concert. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Singing in non-English language). SCHMITZ: But this is no ordinary concert. The event is called Rendszerbont Nagykoncert – loosely translated, the concert for tearing down the system. And there are thousands of people here in Heroes’ Square in Central Budapest, all here to say no to Viktor Orbán, who’s been in power for 16 straight years. They hope to see him lose power in nationwide elections on Sunday. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Singing in non-English language). UNIDENTIFIED EMCEE: (Non-English language spoken). SCHMITZ: “We’re not tearing down walls nor each other,” the concert’s emcee shouts. “We’re tearing down the system.” (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) UNIDENTIFIED EMCEE: (Non-English language spoken). SCHMITZ: A few days ago, I got the chance to interview one of the acts ahead of the concert, a Hungarian heavy metal band …

JD Vance visits Hungary to support Viktor Orbán

JD Vance visits Hungary to support Viktor Orbán

Published by Sam Flores

US Vice President JD Vance (L) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban shake hands as they meet in Budapest, Hungary, April 7, 2026. Jonathan Ernst | Afp | Getty Images Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has U.S. President Donald Trump’s “complete and total support” — but is on course to lose the country’s elections, which are shaping up to be one of the most important and contentious in Europe this year. On Tuesday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance will touch down in Hungary to offer Orbán his support and address an election rally at a soccer stadium in Budapest ahead of Sunday’s elections. While other European leaders have aligned themselves unambiguously with Ukraine in its war against Russia, Orbán has maintained comparatively close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He even said on the campaign trail that the EU was a greater threat to Hungary than Russia. The latest polls show Orbán and his Fidesz party are set to lose to their main challenger, the pro-European opposition party Tisza, with its leader, Peter Magyar, on …

Vance in Budapest – POLITICO

Vance in Budapest – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Fünf Tage vor der Wahl in Ungarn wackelt die Macht von Viktor Orbán wie seit 15 Jahren nicht mehr. Während der US-Vizepräsident Vance zur moralischen (und strategischen) Wahlkampfhilfe in Budapest landet, sorgt ein vereitelter Anschlag auf die Balkan-Stream-Pipeline für Unruhe. Gemeinsam mit Hans von der Burchard analysiert Rixa Fürsen Orbáns riskantes Spiel mit der Panik und die Frage, ob Péter Magyar den „starken Mann“ tatsächlich ablösen kann. In der FDP ist das Personalkarussell über Ostern weiter gelaufen. Christian Dürr zieht seine Wiederkandidatur zurück, nachdem Wolfgang Kubicki seinen Hut für den Parteivorsitz in den Ring geworfen hat. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview erklärt Kubicki, warum er sich nicht als Zukunft, aber als Lebensversicherung der FDP sieht. Während Merz am Tegernsee golfte und die Koalitionsspitzen auf Osterruhe schalteten, tickt die Uhr für das versprochene Reformpaket unerbittlich weiter. Rasmus Buchsteiner berichtet über einen vorliegenden Gesetzentwurf zur Entlastung der Kommunen um vier Milliarden Euro. Ein erster Mosaikstein, bevor Ende April die Stunde der Wahrheit bei den Haushaltseckwerten schlägt. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski …

Orban on the brink – but his rival may spring a surprise on the EU

Orban on the brink – but his rival may spring a surprise on the EU

Published by Sam Flores

In the 16 years since he became prime minister of Hungary for a second time, no one has come close to unseating Viktor Orban. But if polls are to be believed, one man may have found the solution to defeat the EU’s most authoritarian and pro-Putin leader: become him. Péter Magyar is the front-runner in an April 12 election that is a two-man race with the nationalist conservative Mr Orban, who is gunning for a fifth straight election win. Mr Magyar is no woke liberal. He is determined not to be seen as a Europhile centrist like other opposition leaders who have tried and failed to beat the Eurosceptic prime minister. Peter Magyar is trying not to come across as too much pro-EU and pro-Ukraine – but time will tell if he wins the Hungarian elections – Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty “I know the guy,” an EU diplomat in Brussels said of Mr Magyar. “Ten years ago, he was in the Hungarian embassy. We used to call him ‘Baby Orban’. “He’s at pains to avoid …

Orban on the brink – but his rival may spring a surprise on the EU

Orban on the brink – but his rival may spring a surprise on the EU

Published by Sam Flores

In the 16 years since he became prime minister of Hungary for a second time, no one has come close to unseating Viktor Orban. But if polls are to be believed, one man may have found the solution to defeat the EU’s most authoritarian and pro-Putin leader: become him. Péter Magyar is the front-runner in an April 12 election that is a two-man race with the nationalist conservative Mr Orban, who is gunning for a fifth straight election win. Mr Magyar is no woke liberal. He is determined not to be seen as a Europhile centrist like other opposition leaders who have tried and failed to beat the Eurosceptic prime minister. Peter Magyar is trying not to come across as too much pro-EU and pro-Ukraine – but time will tell if he wins the Hungarian elections – Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty “I know the guy,” an EU diplomat in Brussels said of Mr Magyar. “Ten years ago, he was in the Hungarian embassy. We used to call him ‘Baby Orban’. “He’s at pains to avoid …

Budapest Pizzeria Offers Time-Travel Twist With Ancient Rome-Inspired Pie

Budapest Pizzeria Offers Time-Travel Twist With Ancient Rome-Inspired Pie

Published by Sam Flores

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — In Hungary’s capital, a city best known for its goulash, a pizzeria is inviting diners to travel back two millennia to a time before tomatoes, mozzarella or even the word “pizza” were known in Europe. At Neverland Pizzeria in central Budapest, founder Josep Zara and his team have created a limited-edition pie using only ingredients that would have been available in ancient Rome, long before what we know today as pizza ever existed. “Curiosity drove us to ask what pizza might have been like long ago,” Zara said. “We went all the way back to the Roman Empire and wondered whether they even ate pizza at the time.” Strictly speaking, they did not. Tomatoes arrived in Europe centuries later from the Americas, and mozzarella was as yet unknown. Some histories have it that the discovery of mozzarella led directly to the invention of pizza in Naples in the 1700s. But Romans did eat oven-baked flatbreads topped with herbs, cheeses and sauces, the direct ancestors of modern pizza, which were often sold …

Trump Endorses Orbán As Budapest Warns Brussels “Keep Your Hands Off Our Elections”

Trump Endorses Orbán As Budapest Warns Brussels “Keep Your Hands Off Our Elections”

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News, U.S President Donald Trump has endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for re-election ahead of Hungary’s April 12 parliamentary election, praising him as “a truly strong and powerful leader” and saying he has his “complete and total” backing. In the message posted Thursday on Trump’s Truth Social account, Trump credited Orbán with improving bilateral ties and framed him as a law-and-order nationalist leader. “Relations between Hungary and the United States have reached new heights of cooperation and spectacular achievement under my administration, thanks largely to Prime Minister Orbán,” Trump wrote. “I was proud to endorse Viktor for re-election in 2022, and am honored to do so again,” he added. Donald J. Trump Truth Social Post 12:51 PM EST 02.05.26 Highly Respected Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, is a truly strong and powerful Leader, with a proven track record of delivering phenomenal results. He fights tirelessly for, and loves, his Great Country and… pic.twitter.com/rnz1AIIuyW — Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) February 5, 2026 Praise …

Tensions Between Kiev & Budapest Ramp Up As Ambassadors Summoned Over Election Interference Claims

Tensions Between Kiev & Budapest Ramp Up As Ambassadors Summoned Over Election Interference Claims

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News, Hungary and Ukraine have summoned each other’s ambassadors amid a sharp escalation in diplomatic tensions, with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accusing Kyiv of attempting to interfere in Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary elections and Ukraine rejecting the claims as cynical and dishonest. In a series of social media posts on Wednesday, Orbán alleged that Hungary had been subjected to “daily threats from Ukraine,” naming President Volodymyr Zelensky, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Ukrainian security services. “This will continue until the elections,” Orbán wrote, claiming that Kyiv wanted “a pro-Ukrainian government in Hungary” and was targeting members of his government, including Szijjártó and himself. “We did not seek conflict, yet Hungary has been the target for days,” Orbán said, as cited by Magyar Hírlap. He added that Hungary would not be distracted from defending what he described as national interests, stating: “We will not send money to Ukraine, because it is in a better place with Hungarian families than in the bathroom of a Ukrainian oligarch.” He …

Budapest mayor fined for organizing banned Pride march – POLITICO

Budapest mayor fined for organizing banned Pride march – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“The prosecution has filed charges and wants to impose a financial penalty on me without a court hearing, simply because we held the largest freedom march of the past decades,” Karácsony said via email. “They do not even want a trial, because they do not want to face it.” Karácsony, a Green politician and strong opponent of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, opposed the ban and invited people to join the 2025 Budapest Pride rally. The event took place in June, joined by over 100,000 participants, including several European politicians. Two months later, Karácsony was questioned by Hungary’s state police. Last December, he told his followers in a social media post he would face government charges for the case. The event qualified as an assembly outlawed under the new amendment, the prosecutors argue. By proceeding with the event, Budapest’s mayor is accused of committing the “misdemeanor of violating freedom of association and assembly,” the federal prosecutor office’s statement says. Karácsony is one of the ’10 to Watch’ in the POLITICO 28: Class of 2026. The Hungarian Prosecution Service couldn’t …