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CORONAVIRUS: Here's the latest

A regularly updated feed of the latest information about coronavirus in Hungary.

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Operational Group: Wearing masks and keeping to a safe social distance is still important

Colonel Tibor Lakatos said today that following the social distancing rules could prevent a more serious second wave in the fall.

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Liberal media reports vs. reality, Part 2: Sanctions against scaremongering and the spreading of fake news

Over the last several weeks of international reporting on Hungary, it’s been a little difficult to find examples of balanced coverage or some semblance of objectivity.

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FM Szijjártó: Both Ukraine and Hungary must benefit from cooperation

At today’s press conference, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó signed a protocol amending the agreement.

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Gergely Gulyás: Epidemiological preparedness remains

“Hungary has managed to control the spread of the virus, and it is one of the few countries where a period of large-scale illness did not occur,” said Gergely Gulyás today at the Government Info briefing.

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CORONAVIRUS: 3,867 infected. In compulsory home quarantine: 11,408. Recovered: 2,142. Deceased: 524.

If you have a question call + 36-80-277-455 and + 36-80-277-456 or email koronavirus@bm.gov.hu.

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Article 7

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News in Brief

Fidesz backs calls for speeding up Article 7 procedure against Hungary

Feb 26, 2020

Balázs Hidvéghi said the party’s MEPs earlier called for a speedy conclusion of the procedure, which he called a “political witch hunt”.

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News in Brief

Fidesz MEP: Adoption of EP resolution is yet another way for pro-migration forces to pressure Hungary

Jan 17, 2020

Balázs Hidvéghi said the rule of law issue had been a “cover story” for what was a political dispute between pro-migration forces and Hungary, which opposes migration.

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Blog

Extension of Article 7 procedure: This time the Soros Orchestra isn’t only disregarding EP rules, it’s going against EU Treaties

Jan 16, 2020 - Zoltán Kovács

Following a debate last week in the European Parliament on the Article 7 procedure against Hungary and Poland, the EP’s left-liberal majority voted to extend its scope to cover areas previously untouched by the notorious Sargentini Report.

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News in Brief

Fidesz MEP: There's no problem with the rule of law in Hungary

Jan 16, 2020

“The Hungarian government has asked the European Council to put an end to the Article 7 procedure which was launched illegitimately and built on lies,” Tamás Deutsch said.

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Blog

Minister Gulyás antwortet auf die finnische Präsidentschaft: Hey, entweder gelten die Regeln in beide Richtungen oder überhaupt nicht!

Dec 17, 2019 - Zoltán Kovács

Einige waren gar nicht glücklich darüber, dass ich beschlossen habe, über Twitter ein wenig Klarheit darüber zu verschaffen, wie der Rat, unter der finnischen Präsidentschaft, diese Anhörungen nach Artikel 7 durchführt.

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Blog

Minister Gulyás responds to Finnish Presidency: Hey, the rules work both ways or not at all

Dec 13, 2019 - Zoltán Kovács

Some weren't happy when I decided to cast a little sunlight – via Twitter – on the way the Council, under the Finnish presidency, conducts these Article 7 hearings.

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News in Brief

Justice Minister: The EU’s Article 7 procedure against Hungary is a “witch hunt masked as a legal process”

Dec 13, 2019

Justice Minister Judit Varga said that no one at the recent EU’s General Affairs Council hearing on the rule of law in Hungary “was interested in our answers”.

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Blog

Article 7 and ‘trampling on the rules’

Dec 11, 2019 - Zoltán Kovács

Seems I touched a nerve.

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News in Brief

State Secretary: George Soros's people are in the new European Commission

Dec 11, 2019

Zoltán Kovács said it had become clear during the second Article 7 hearing that “[US financier] George Soros’s people are also in the new European Commission” under the leadership of EC vice-president Frans Timmermans.

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News in Brief

Justice Minister slams Article 7 hearing against Hungary

Dec 11, 2019

Minster Varga said it had become clear that if the EU were truly concerned about the state of the rule of law in Hungary, the proceedings could have been closed a long time ago.

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Blog

Article 7 hearing on Hungary: Look who’s talking - again

Dec 10, 2019 - Zoltán Kovács

Timmermans, Reynders, Jourová, Haavisto and their unelected NGOs. The tireless Soros orchestra took the stage today in the EU’s General Affairs Council.

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Blog

Today’s Article 7 hearing: It’s getting ridiculous

Dec 09, 2019 - Zoltán Kovács

Pro-migration forces in Brussels are back at it again, and their ideologically driven determination to ram through this Article 7 procedure has reached ridiculous proportions.

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News in Brief

Justice Minister: Article 7 procedure against Hungary could have been closed already

Sep 18, 2019

Judit Varga said the Article 7 procedure could have already been closed since there are legal answers to “accusations” Hungary has been subject to.

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Blog

The pro-immigration forces are waging a revenge campaign camouflaged as a legal process

Sep 16, 2019 - Zoltán Kovács

Today’s hearing at the EU’s General Affairs Council was nothing more than that. They have camouflaged it as a legal process, but it’s a revenge campaign waged by the political forces who drive a pro-migration agenda and remain determined to punish Hungary for our opposition.

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News in Brief

State Secretary: Today’s EU ministerial hearing about Hungary will be revenge for pro-migration forces

Sep 16, 2019

Zoltán Kovács has said today’s EU ministerial hearing about Hungary will be a kind of revenge for pro-migration forces in the European Parliament that make every effort to attack the country.

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Blog

The anti-Hungary, pro-migration lobby is back at it again

Sep 16, 2019 - Zoltán Kovács

Certain elements in the European Parliament remain determined to make Hungary pay for staunchly opposing their pro-immigration agenda and for insisting upon defending Europe’s Schengen border. This is what today's hearing is all about.

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News in Brief

Hungary demands fair treatment in Article 7 procedure

Jul 09, 2019

Judit Varga said that during the procedure Finland's EU presidency should ensure that there is a democratic majority of member states that back every step taken.

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News in Brief

EP election campaign is not the forum to chew over politically motivated Article 7 procedure launched against Hungary

Feb 05, 2019

Gergely Gulyás said Article 7 had been launched against Hungary by pro-migration forces in European Parliament who didn’t favor the country’s policy on migration

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News in Brief

Hungary will make no compromise on the issue of migration, says head of the Prime Minister’s Office

Nov 13, 2018

Gergely Gulyás said Hungary believes that only the voters and the government have a right to decide who should be allowed to enter and settle in the country

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Blog

Minister Gulyás on the Article 7 procedure: ‘A political accusation disguised as rule-of-law concerns’

Nov 09, 2018 - Zoltán Kovács

The pro-immigration political parties in the EP will stop at nothing to push their ideological agenda.

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Speeches and Remarks

Note by the Hungarian Government on the Resolution adopted by the European Parliament on 12th of September 2018 on Hungary

Nov 09, 2018

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News in Brief

FM: Poland has Hungary's full support

Oct 15, 2018

Ministers held an overnight meeting and discussed EU procedures against Hungary and Poland, and migration challenges. The ministers mutually assured each other of their country's support

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Justice Minister: Hungary doesn't want to emulate Western Europe

Oct 12, 2018

The minister said the Article 7 procedure initiated at the European Parliament in the wake of a report by Dutch green MEP Judith Sargentini only served to divide and weaken Europe

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News in Brief

A majority of Hungarians disagree with the EP’s approval of the Sargentini Report

Sep 27, 2018

According to a survey by the Századvég Foundation, 57 percent said they were against the report’s approval

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Bulgaria backs Hungary in its standoff with the European Union

Sep 20, 2018

PM Borissov said his government agreed that if there were a motion to strip Hungary of its EU voting rights, Sofia would oppose it

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EP decision to adopt the Sargentini Report contravened European Union law from several perspectives, says spokesman

Sep 14, 2018

“The European Union has only a single body that can examine adherence to EU law and organise a debate on such issues: the European Commission, and not the Parliament," the spokesman said.

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FM: Hungary will be reviewing the available opportunities for legal redress over Sargentini report

Sep 13, 2018

EP decision on the adoption of the Sargentini Report is "the petty revenge of pro-immigration politicians," says foreign minister

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News in Brief

Poland stands beside Hungary over EU sanctions

Sep 13, 2018

“Every member state of the EU has the sovereign right to carry out internal reforms as it deems appropriate,” Poland’s Foreign Ministry said

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Blog

Q & A on Hungary and the Sargentini Report ahead of today’s EP debate

Sep 11, 2018 - Zoltán Kovács

Today in Strasbourg, the European Parliament convenes in plenary to debate something called the Sargentini Report on issues in Hungary. If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, here’s a short roundup of a few things you should know.

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News in Brief

Sargentini Report is final, desperate attack on Hungary, says government official

Sep 10, 2018

“What is important is what the people say at the EP elections in May 2019," Minister Antal Rogán said

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Speeches and Remarks

[Background] The government of Hungary on the so-called Sargentini Report

Sep 10, 2018

The Hungarian government has published an information sheet providing background on the issues raised in the so-called Sargentini Report

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Blog Prime Minister

The debate over the Sargentini Report, Part 1: These issues are ancient history

Sep 06, 2018 - Zoltán Kovács

The European Parliament convenes in plenary next week to consider a resolution to impose sanctions on Hungary for alleged violations of the rule of law. The motion would trigger the Article 7 procedure, the so-called “nuclear option,” against a member state. That’s serious stuff.

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News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán to attend contentious LIBE hearing on Hungary's rule of law

Aug 31, 2018

PM Orbán has said the report could be considered a “Soros report”, aimed at pressuring Hungary to change its standpoint on the issue of migration, “but that will not happen”

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Hungary’s FM: LIBE report includes assorted lies and factual errors that call into question the credibility of the whole document

Apr 26, 2018

Hungary’s foreign minister has said that the special report on Hungary being drawn up by the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) is the basic document of a show trial

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Government Spokesperson: Sargentini Report presented by LIBE is the work of the “Soros empire”

Apr 16, 2018

Zoltán Kovács said that the LIBE Committee had presented the draft of its report on Hungary, which includes serious criticisms, the rapporteur of which is Green Party MEP Judith Sargentini

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News in Brief

European Parliament committee recommends triggering disciplinary proceedings against Hungary

Apr 13, 2018

Invoking Article 7, the nuclear option, could mean that Hungary loses its voting rights in the European Council

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Hungary says the rule of law procedure instituted by the Commission against Poland is unjustified and legally unfounded

Feb 28, 2018

According to the minister of State for EU Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office, the Commission's goal is to put political pressure on Warsaw, and Hungary rejects this in the strongest possible terms

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EP investigator visits Hungary to determine whether Article 7 proceedings should go ahead

Jan 10, 2018

Levente Magyar, the ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Parliamentary State Secretary, said that the EP will decide whether or not to launch Article 7 proceedings against Hungary based on Sargentini's report, which could lead to the suspension of Hungary’s voting rights

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News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán assures Poland of Hungary's support over EU's “unlawful” Article 7 procedure

Jan 04, 2018

Poland has suffered unfair treatment and Hungary’s support of Poland is “in the interest of central Europe,” PM Orbán said

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News in Brief

Hungary will veto EC's decision to trigger Article 7 against Poland

Dec 21, 2017

Hungary's Deputy PM said the government will continue to stand firmly by Poland and that “we shall defend Poland in the face of an unfair, fabricated political procedure”

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News in Brief

Hungary to veto invocation of Article 7 against Poland

Nov 16, 2017

“The Hungarian government stands by Poland and the adoption of such a resolution is out of the question,” said Deputy PM Semjén

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News in Brief

A new LIBE hearing will take place later this year

Nov 09, 2017

The European Parliament has ruled that a review of the ‘article 7 procedure’ will take place, and might lead to the suspension of Hungary’s voting rights in the Council

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News in Brief

Hungary has one month to respond to EC infringement procedure over the law on transparency of foreign-funded NGOs

Jul 13, 2017

The EC said it has sent Hungary a letter of formal notice, which officially launches the procedure

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Deadline for Hungarian government's 'national consultation' questionnaire tomorrow

May 30, 2017

The Hungarian government will be able to act successfully against “the pressure imposed by Brussels and the organizations of George Soros” if as many people return their questionnaires as possible by Wednesday, Fidesz party's communications director said

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Here’s the scary part of the Article 7 nuclear option pursued by European Parliament leftists against the Hungarian government

May 22, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

Once again, Hungarian left-wing politicians have taken domestic affairs to the stage of the European Parliament, hoping to gain traction in their political campaign against the Hungarian government. Their timely intervention intersects neatly with the interests of an American billionaire whose extreme ideas about an open society aim to undermine Europe’s external border.

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News in Brief

Hungary is ready to battle it out with Brussels over Article 7 proceedings

May 18, 2017

János Lázár, head of the Prime Minister’s Office, has said that the latest developments will only bring Hungarians closer together and ensure that Hungary will fight for its survival

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European Parliament votes to initiate Article 7 proceedings against Hungary

May 17, 2017

Hungarian government insiders state that they are surprised by the move considering there is an ongoing discussion with the European Commission regarding CEU, and the law on NGOs has not even been put up to vote by the Parliament. Plus, Hungary's stance on immigration is a widely accepted path worldwide

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