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How far is Kötcse from Brussels? Very far
Fidesz public relations gurus discovered early in the game that a party needs certain fixed points or anchors in order to radiate an aura of continuity, steadiness, and stability. Once they hit upon...
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Getting closer: The latest developments on the Sargentini Report
I’m returning to yesterday’s topic because since last night, when I finished my post, quite a quite a few items of interest have surfaced. At the time I wrote the post, despite Viktor Orbán’s...
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Is Viktor Orbán’s pillaging of the EU coming to an end?
Influential members of the European Commission and the European Parliament have finally taken the initial steps to tackle two interrelated problems in the EU: systemic corruption, especially with...
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Orbán received an ultimatum, which so far he is ignoring
The avalanche of news in both the Hungarian and the German media on the EPP-Fidesz struggle is overwhelming. Interview after interview with leading Christian Democratic politicians appears, and each of...
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Migrant debit cards: a tool of terrorism? Yes, so vote Fidesz
Commentators outside of the Fidesz propaganda media claim that Orbán’s seven points, which are the basis of Fidesz’s campaign program for the European parliamentary election, are meaningless and...
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Did Fidesz MEPs vote for von der Leyen?
So, it is over. After a few hectic days, Ursula von der Leyen narrowly won election to be the next president of the European Commission. She needed a minimum of 374 votes and received 383. Five years...
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The shipwrecked dreams of Fidesz in the European Parliament
I had a hectic day today and, as a result, I’m running behind. In addition, for a stint I had no internet connection (some unexplained Comcast problem), which made research well-nigh impossible. So,...
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We have proof: Hungary is the most corrupt country in the EU
The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) issued a press release summarizing its investigative work during the year 2018. The office concluded 167 investigations and issued 256 recommendations. A quick...
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Building bridges to the EU: Opposition mayors visit Brussels
Hungarian members of the European Parliament who represent opposition parties have been lobbying ever since June for municipalities to be able to draw on EU funds directly. As it stands now, the...
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An article by Patrick Kingsley and Benjamin Novak in the New York Times...
Benjamin Novak has written extensively in American and Canadian newspapers about Hungarian politics. His early writings appeared in the Budapest Beacon, an English-language internet news site that many...
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Fidesz at a crossroads
Let me start with the latest developments in EPP-Fidesz relations. Today, Katalin Halmai, Népszava’s correspondent in Brussels, reported that the findings of the three wise men from EPP — the Belgian...
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Article 7 under scrutiny in the European Parliament
Today was not a day to warm the cockles of the hearts of Viktor Orbán and the Fidesz crew in the European Parliament. Let’s start with the Hungarian prime minister’s alleged plan to hammer together an...
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Will the pandemic bring innovation to Hungarian education?
Teachers wanted to close schools in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but I wonder whether they could possibly have imagined what would be waiting for them in the coming days and weeks. Some...
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The Sikorski letter to Deutsch; Schmidt embraces alternative facts
The Sikorski-Deutsch correspondence revisited First, a quick return to my piece on “The Hungarian government’s primitive attack on Donald Tusk.” Those who visit the “comments” section of Hungarian...
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Next generation EU: VDL’s recovery fund
Two days ago, EU President Ursula von der Leyen announced the establishment of a €750 billion recovery fund to battle the recession that is engulfing the countries of the European Union. The money will...
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Introducing Tamás Deutsch, successor to József Szájer as leader of Fidesz in EPP
In my database I found close to 800 articles on EPP-Fidesz relations but practically nothing on Tamás Deutsch, who has been a Fidesz MEP for the last eleven years. The minimal interest in Deutsch is...
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In another Hungarian swipe at the EU, Szijjártó takes on the commissioner for...
It is hard, although some Fidesz sympathizers try, to maintain that Viktor Orbán’s fabulous political talents always produce enviable results. At the moment, the Hungarian prime minister’s luck seems...
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Viktor Orbán in search of a new EP group
The cacophony surrounding the meaning of the agreement reached yesterday on the rule of law conditionality has reached a level that is hard to take. Commentators vehemently argue over totally contrary...
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Do EPP sanctions on Deutsch foreshadow Fidesz’s departure from the group?
Tonight the European People’s Party voted, 133 to 6, to restrict Tamás Deutsch’s activities as a member of EPP. It was only a few days ago that I outlined Fidesz-founder Deutsch’s controversial...
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How much can Fidesz take and “keep moving forward”?
The Hungarian media is split over the European People’s Party’s unique punishment of Tamás Deutsch, leader of the Fidesz contingent within EPP. Pro-government publications hailed Deutsch’s escape from...
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