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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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PM Orbán: Hungarians need the vaccine, not an explanation

“Restrictions cannot be lifted until mass vaccination begins,” said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán this morning adding that a Hungarian vaccine factory will be built in Debrecen, which will reduce the country's vulnerability in the future.

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Everything wrong with Věra Jourová

2020 has been quite the year for Věra Jourová, the European Commissioner for Values and Transparency.

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PM Orbán: Hungary’s vaccination capacity is far beyond the number of doses arriving from the EU

Prime Minister Orbán said that Hungary has so far inoculated 105,728 people, and the number of newly confirmed infected is on the decline, with a rising number of those who have recovered from the coronavirus.

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Is Brussels failing the COVID vaccine challenge?

So, what’s really happening? Has the EU reserved enough vaccines? Did they arrive late to the party? Why does the supply seem so unreliable? These are just a few of the tough questions for Brussels.

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WaPo, the failed opposition leader and a story of blatant hypocrisy

“Independent” MP Bernadett Szél, former leader of LMP (the failed green-liberal party in Hungary) and 2018 opposition prime minister candidate, can’t sleep at night worried about “populists,” forgets about her own violent demonstrations.

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EU budget

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Speeches and Remarks

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s address to the Hungarian parliament before the start of daily business

Dec 16, 2020

14 December 2020, Budapest

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News in Brief

PM Orbán: Hungary’s sovereignty and money has been protected

Dec 15, 2020

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said "common sense won the day" in the course of the European Council summit last week.

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Blog

PM Orbán: Common sense prevailed, we defended Hungary's sovereignty and the money due to Hungarians

Dec 14, 2020 - Zoltán Kovács

“At last week's summit of the European Council, common sense prevailed; we defended Hungary's sovereignty and Hungarian money,” said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his speech in Parliament today.

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News in Brief

Justice Minister: EU deal is a victory for common sense

Dec 14, 2020

Justice Minister Judit Varga said Thursday’s agreement concerning the European Union’s next budget and coronavirus recovery fund has in the first place been a victory for common sense.

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News in Brief

PM Orbán: Europe has not surrendered to Soros

Dec 14, 2020

PM Orbán said the European Union has maintained its unity and won; George Soros lost and it would be time for Europeans to “finally send him home to America”.

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Blog

Europe has not surrendered

Dec 13, 2020

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s response to George Soros.

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Blog

Der Sieg der Vernunft

Dec 12, 2020 - Zoltán Kovács

Brüssel ist nicht in der Lage, Ungarn mit Geld zu erpressen, es gibt keine neue Waffe gegen uns.

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News in Brief

PM Orbán: Common sense prevailed at EU summit

Dec 11, 2020

After a deal was struck on the EU budget and recovery fund at the European Union summit in Brussels, PM Orbán said “common sense has prevailed, we’ve protected Hungarians’ money.”

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Blog Prime Minister

The victory of common sense

Dec 11, 2020 - Zoltán Kovács

Brussels is not able to blackmail Hungary with money, there is no new weapon against us.

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News in Brief

Gulyás: Payment of EU funds must not be linked to conditions during pandemic

Dec 09, 2020

Gergely Gulyás said the time was not right for “unnecessary debates on immigration and gender issues” but aid must be granted to countries in need.

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News in Brief

PM Orbán: Good chance of victory for Hungary and Poland in EU budget

Dec 09, 2020

PM Orbán said Hungary and Poland both regard keeping to the EU’s basic treaty and its provisions highly important.

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News in Brief

FM: Hungary and Poland committed to cooperation in planned veto of EU budget

Dec 08, 2020

Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the two countries would “not bow to any intentions trying to drive a wedge” between them.

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News in Brief

EC migration plan 'shocking' given that it coincides with battle against pandemic and budget talks

Dec 04, 2020

Gergely Gulyás noted that the European Commission published a migration action plan last week, which he described as “shocking”, given that it coincided with the battle against pandemic and budget talks.

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Blog

Fünf Fakten, die man über das Veto Ungarns in Bezug auf den EU-Haushalt wissen sollte

Dec 02, 2020 - Zoltán Kovács

Ungarn und Polen sind erneut die schwarzen Schafe der Europäischen Union, weil wir darauf bestehen, das ursprüngliche Abkommen über den EU-Haushalt und den Wiederauffüllungsfonds beizubehalten, das der Europäische Rat im vergangenen Juli vorgelegt hat.

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News in Brief

State Secretary: Responsibility lies with EU to resolve budget standoff

Dec 02, 2020

“Poland and Hungary did not change their positions for the past four months,” Kovács told the BBC World Service program Business Daily.

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News in Brief

EU budget conditionality would weaken rule of law in the EU

Nov 27, 2020

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Polish counterpart, Mateusz Morawiecki, said in a joint declaration that EU budget conditionality would weaken, not strengthen the rule of law in the EU.

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News in Brief

PM Orbán: EU budget veto to protect the interests of the Hungarian people

Nov 27, 2020

“I can’t risk having positions forced on Hungary that the Hungarian people would disapprove of,” the prime minister said.

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News in Brief

State Secretary: Italy is not being hindered by Hungary’s veto but by the EU’s use of the rule of law

Nov 26, 2020

Zoltán Kovács said Italy was getting damaged by the EU, not by Hungary, because Brussels was responsible for freezing post-pandemic support for economic recovery.

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Blog

Five facts you should know about Hungary’s veto on the EU Budget

Nov 26, 2020 - Zoltán Kovács

Hungary and Poland are once again the black sheep of the European Union because we insist on keeping to the original agreement on the EU budget and recovery fund, delivered by the European Council this past July.

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News in Brief

EU institutions are using “financial blackmail” and “political retribution” against member states that refuse migrants

Nov 20, 2020

Referring to the “Soros plan”, Zoltán Kovács cited Soros as suggesting in 2015 that countries refusing to take in migrants should be subjected to financial penalties.

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News in Brief

Soros calls for financial sanctions against countries that refuse to take in migrants

Nov 20, 2020

Gergely Gulyás, Head of the Prime Minister’s Office, said Hungary “cannot accept any form of lecturing” from American-Hungarian financier George Soros.

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News in Brief

PM Orbán: Budget veto in line with EU treaties

Nov 19, 2020

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said the Hungarian government vetoed the EU's budget package in line with its position communicated during the summit this July.

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News in Brief

Justice Minister: Double standards regarding the rule of law are unacceptable

Nov 18, 2020

Justice Minister Judit Varga told a meeting involving European affairs ministers that “double standards” regarding the rule of law were “unacceptable”.

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News in Brief

State Secretary: Hungary not the cause of EU budget veto

Nov 18, 2020

The veto of the European Union budget and recovery fund was not caused by Hungary but by those who created the conditions leading to it.

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News in Brief

Justice Minister: Hungary has never fought against Europe, but for Europe

Nov 17, 2020

“Hungary has never fought against Europe, but for Europe and for the European future of our children and grandchildren,” the justice minister said.

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News in Brief

Hungary vetos EU budget and recovery package

Nov 17, 2020

Hungary and Poland have vetoed the European Union's next multi-year budget and post-pandemic recovery package.

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FM: Hungary and Poland will “do what it takes” to stop any potential blackmail when it comes to EU funding

Oct 23, 2020

The foreign minister said both countries are entitled to those funds because “Poles and Hungarians contribute to the EU’s economic output.”

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News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán briefs parliament on results of EU summit

Aug 11, 2020

PM Orbán said in his letter that the Hungarian government had succeeded in ensuring that member states in similar economic situations are granted equal treatment.

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News in Brief

Foreign Minister says EU summit reached "the best deal" over recovery package

Jul 27, 2020

“Our primary goal was that these European resources should be distributed fairly and on objective criteria. Giving in to any blackmail or some countries pressing others and setting subjective criteria were out of the question,” the foreign minister said.

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News in Brief

Justice Minister says Hungary won EU budget battle

Jul 27, 2020

The justice minister said the Hungarian government “won a battle” at last week’s European Union summit over the community’s budget, but “the war goes on” in the EU’s institutions.

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News in Brief

PM Orbán: Hungary and Poland have succeeded in protecting their national pride

Jul 22, 2020

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary and Poland have succeeded in ensuring substantial funds and in protecting their national pride.

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News in Brief

Hungary will only agree to EU's coronavirus rescue fund if Brussels ends Article 7 proceedings

Jul 17, 2020

“Article 7 proceedings against Hungary must be terminated,” Katalin Novák said, adding that Hungary’s parliament had endorsed this demand.

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Justice Minister: Parliament has set clear terms for EU budget talks

Jul 17, 2020

Conditions approved by Hungary’s parliament regarding the EU’s coronavirus rescue package lay out a clear set of principles to be applied by the government at the upcoming EU summit focusing on the bloc’s next budget.

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News in Brief Prime Minister

Parliament's decision on EU recovery package is binding for PM

Jul 16, 2020

At the EU summit this week, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will be bound by parliament's conditions.

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Blog

PM Orbán: “We should expect the coronavirus to appear in our country, too”

Feb 28, 2020 - Zoltán Kovács

In his regular radio interview, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán covered negotiations over the new EU budget, the current migration situation, the coronavirus and the upcoming National Consultation.

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Ministerpräsident Orbán zum EU-Haushalt: Ein ehrgeiziges Europa braucht einen ehrgeizigen Haushalt

Feb 25, 2020 - Zoltán Kovács

„Im Moment sind wir weit davon entfernt, eine Einigung zu erzielen. Es gibt zwei Positionen. Wir werden die Verhandlungen irgendwann in der Zukunft fortsetzen“, sagte Premierminister Orbán nach dem zweitägigen Gipfeltreffen des Europäischen Rates in Brüssel zum bevorstehenden Siebenjahresbudget der EU.

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News in Brief

NBH Governor: Some member states' position on next EU budget is “unfair” and “wrong”

Feb 25, 2020

Significant progress has been made in the region over the past 15 years, but local infrastructure is still not on par with that in the West. At the same time, western European companies have staked out local markets.

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Speeches and Remarks

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s statement after a special summit of the European Council

Feb 24, 2020

21 February 2020, Brussels

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News in Brief

PM Orbán calls it "unacceptable" that four EU members reject EC budget proposal

Feb 24, 2020

“If we wish to see an ambitious Europe, we need an ambitious budget,” PM Orbán said during an EU summit in Brussels on Friday.

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Blog Prime Minister

PM Orbán on the EU budget: An ambitious Europe needs an ambitious budget

Feb 22, 2020 - Zoltán Kovács

“Right now, we are very far from coming to an agreement. There are two positions. We will continue negotiations sometime in the future,” PM Orbán said following the two-day European Council summit in Brussels on the EU’s upcoming seven-year budget.

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Was sich ändern muss: Das steckt hinter den „4 Punkten“ von Ministerpräsident Orbán, die im nächsten EU-Haushalt überarbeitet werden müssen

Feb 14, 2020 - Zoltán Kovács

Nach dem gestrigen Treffen mit dem Präsidenten des Europäischen Rates, Charles Michel, skizzierte Premierminister Orbán vier Schlüsselbereiche, die seines Erachtens im kommenden EU-Haushalt 2021-2027 modifiziert werden müssen. Lesen Sie hier, was hinter jedem seiner Punkte steckt.

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News in Brief

PM Orbán: EU member states set to reach a deal on the bloc's next budget

Feb 11, 2020

Talks on EU enlargement were also on the agenda during PM Orbán’s meeting with the German Chancellor yesterday.

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It’s gotta change: Here’s what’s behind PM Orbán’s “4 points” that must be revised in the next EU budget

Feb 04, 2020 - Zoltán Kovács

Following a meeting with European Council President Charles Michel yesterday, Prime Minister Orbán outlined four key areas he would like to see modified in the upcoming 2021-2027 EU budget. Here’s what’s behind each of his points.

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News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán calls for EU budget to be allocated fairly

Feb 04, 2020

Following a meeting with European Council President Charles Michel in Brussels, the prime minister said the EU budget should be put on a "fair footing".

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Blog Prime Minister

PM Orbán: Brussels has wrecked Europe’s economic policy

Feb 04, 2020 - Zoltán Kovács

Following last Saturday’s Friends of Cohesion Summit in Portugal, Prime Minister Orbán had some choice words about past mistakes and the EU’s future economic performance.

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News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán: Positions on EU budget are far apart

Feb 03, 2020

The prime minister said European economic policy had been “ruined” in Brussels in recent years, the results of which will soon become apparent.

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PM Orbán to attend Friends of Cohesion Group meeting in Portugal

Jan 30, 2020

The justice minister recently highlighted how Hungary regards planned cuts to European Union cohesion funding as “unacceptable”.

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PM Orbán: We need more and more countries as partners in Hungary’s success

Nov 08, 2019 - Zoltán Kovács

In his regular Friday morning radio interview, following a busy eight days packing in three bilateral visits in Budapest, Prime Minister Orbán talked about the main objective behind Hungary’s foreign policy, Turkey’s role in putting an end to migration, and Ukraine and the Hungarians in Transcarpathia before turning to tourism and the common EU budget.

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News in Brief

PM Orbán says EU budget proposal is "unfair"

Nov 06, 2019

The prime minister said the proposal under discussion across Europe contained faults that could be laid at the doorstep of the outgoing commission.

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PM Orbán: we want this next EU budget to be fair

Nov 05, 2019 - Zoltán Kovács

The outgoing European Commission proposal for the next European Union budget is unfair and we "want justice," said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán today in Prague.

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MoJ Varga in Brussels: Finnish EU budget proposal unacceptable to Hungary

Oct 16, 2019 - Zoltán Kovács

Unlike some of the previous efforts, which were directed solely at Hungary, the Finnish government is now set on withdrawing funds from a number of EU member states. Minister of Justice Judit Varga attended the General Affairs Council meetings on Tuesday where ministers discussed the Finnish presidency’s budget proposal. She had a few choice words following the meeting.

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News in Brief

Justice Minister: Finnish EU presidency's budget proposal for next seven-year cycle is unacceptable to Hungary

Oct 16, 2019

The Finnish EU presidency's budget proposal for the next seven-year cycle is unacceptable to Hungary, Justice Minister Judit Varga has said in Brussels.

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President Áder meets German counterpart to discuss EU cohesion funds

Oct 14, 2019

President János Áder met his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Athens on Saturday to discuss cohesion funds in the next EU budgetary period and German investments in Hungary.

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Fidesz MEP says the ruling party rejects EU budget cuts

Sep 19, 2019

Tamás Deutsch said the EU’s 2021-2027 budget was “unacceptable” because its authors applied “double standards”. He added that the budget would significantly reduce regional development and agricultural subsidies.

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Hungary will veto EU budget in its current form, says official

Sep 17, 2019

Gergely Gulyás has said the European Union budget for the next seven-year cycle is unacceptable to Hungary and will be vetoed unless it is changed.

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V4 countries agree 2021-2027 EU budget cuts are “unacceptable”

Sep 10, 2019

Representatives of the Visegrad Group countries have stated that the planned 20 percent cut of European Union funding in the 2021-2027 financial cycle is “unacceptable”.

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Justice Minister: Double standards evident in EU’s 2021-27 budget are unacceptable to Hungary

Sep 03, 2019

“Hungary rejects the draft in its current form because it will result in the biggest cutback in cohesion funds for the Central European region and Hungary within it, which goes against the principles and goals of this policy,” Minister Varga said.

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You have the right to know: Brussels plans to cut EU funding for countries that oppose immigration

Mar 12, 2019 - Zoltán Kovács

They’d require admitting migrants as a precondition to receiving cohesion funding. This is pure black mail.

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News in Brief

Hungary and Italy in agreement over EC budget, migration and Brussels' "attacks"

Feb 14, 2019

The Hungarian and Italian governments agree that the outgoing EU administration “cannot be a negotiating partner in issues impacting the bloc’s future”

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Brussels pushes forward with plans to force illegal migration onto EU member states

Dec 17, 2018

István Hollik says the Brussels leadership doesn’t just want to manage migration, but in fact wants to increase it

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Finance Minister: Hungary opposes separate euro zone budget

Dec 04, 2018

During a meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels on Monday, Mihály Varga said having a separate budget for the countries that share the common currency could present serious risks

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News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán: Negotiations about the EU’s next seven-year budget are expected to be complicated but will result in an agreement

Nov 30, 2018

The prime minister said the 2021-2027 budget will be the most important issue after next year’s European Parliamentary elections

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FM: The next EU budget should be negotiated with the new commission

Sep 03, 2018

Mihály Varga has said the next EU budget should be negotiated with the new commission that comes into power in 2019

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Here’s why Hungary rejects the latest draft of the 2021-2027 EU budget

Jun 19, 2018 - Zoltán Kovács

For starters, it uses the common budget for political gains, gives funds to rich countries and takes from the poor, and uses OLAF as a means of political blackmail.

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Gergely Gulyás: EU’s budget draft for the period between 2021 and 2027 is “unacceptable”

Jun 15, 2018

The minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said the proposal would reallocate funds from poorer states to richer ones

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News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán reveals EU's draft budget for 2021-2027 will be the last in which Hungary would not be a net contributor

Jun 13, 2018

The prime minister said that after this next funding cycle, Hungary will be paying more into the EU budget than it will receive

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Europe faces serious challenges as Brussels plans major spending cuts

Jun 08, 2018

Szabolcs Takács, the state secretary for European Affairs, said the issues of migration, economic development and EU enlargement will prove problematic, while the European Commission plans to cut funding for policies whose goals are defined in the bloc’s treaties

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News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán: Soros’ shadow army should come out into the light

May 04, 2018

PM Orbán highlighted a plan to amend the constitution to outlaw the relocation of migrants to Hungary to go ahead in the new government cycle

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Hungary's FM: We must regard the linking of EU funding to the rule of law as fiction

May 04, 2018

Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the laws and treaties that are in effect clearly set down the rights and obligations of member states, and they are the same for everyone

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Blog Prime Minister

PM Orbán on EU budget: ‘As long as Hungarians do not say okay, there won’t be any budget’

May 04, 2018 - Zoltán Kovács

“Keep calm,” said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his interview on Kossuth Rádió this morning, referring to discussions over the EU’s next multi-year budget. The debate will be long and drawn out, but ultimately it has to have unanimous support, and “as long as Hungarians do not say okay, there won’t be any budget.”

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Hungarian MEP critical of new EC budget plans

May 03, 2018

Hungarian MEPs are divided over a new mechanism included in the European Commission’s budget proposal for 2021-27, which could penalise member states that undermine the rule of law

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Hungary has confirmed that there are no “irreconcilable differences” between the goals of the government and the EC's position on the budget

Feb 05, 2018

Hungary has confirmed that there are no “irreconcilable differences” between the goals of the government and the position of the European Commission concerning the community’s budget

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Hungary will increase contribution to EU budget following Brexit

Jan 09, 2018

János Lázár said that in order for the bloc to succeed, member states will have to contribute more to the budget. “We are convinced that you can’t have more Europe from less money,” he said

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