About Hungary beta

That moment when a US diplomat wonders if there is press freedom in Hungary, and an RTL Klub producer has the answer

Really, what reasonable, Hungarian-speaking person would look at the media landscape in Hungary and seriously wonder about the freedom of the media?

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The corruption of news reporting on ‘corruption’

If it doesn’t fit within the Hungary-bashing narrative, it won’t be reported.

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Brussels shoots itself in the foot with crackdown on Hungarian NGO transparency

Their credibility just took another blow. It’s difficult to take seriously this latest move by the European Commission.

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PM Orbán: Policy on Hungarian communities beyond the borders must help lower and middle classes

PM Orbán said that members of the highly-qualified intellectual classes with solid family backgrounds are already succeeding in finding their own path as Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin.

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Hungary’s economy gathers steam as the CDS premium falls below the 100 point-mark

Hungary has surpassed another benchmark: the five-year, CDS premium fell below the 100 point-mark, to 98 points, at the end of September in another sign that investors are upbeat about the economic outlook.

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The Financial Times has become completely unhinged

They've gone off their meds

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Want to belong to Europe? Act like it!

In the European Union, we don’t take away the rights of children of historic minorities. Ukraine, by doing so, is taking a detour from its path into the EU and turning its back on European neighbors who stood by them in some of the most difficult times.

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Europe

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Blog Prime Minister

PM Orbán: ‘The question of the coming decades: Will Europe belong to Europeans?’

Jul 22, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

“Twenty-seven years ago, we believed our future is Europe,” said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the 28th Summer University and Student Camp in Baile Tusnad this morning. “Right now, we are Europe’s future.”

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Speeches and Remarks Prime Minister

Helmut Kohl: Viktor Orbán’s interview following memorial service

Jul 05, 2017

1 July 2017, Strasbourg (Straßburg)

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News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán has called for a rebellion against Brussels bureaucrats and liberal media outlets

Mar 16, 2017

During his speech to celebrate Hungary's March 15 national holiday, PM Orbán called on the people to bring about a "deep but peaceful" transformation of Europe

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Blog

Here’s how the liberal media manipulated the PM’s remarks and turned him into a racist overnight

Mar 02, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

For breaking the rules of political correctness and using the word “ethnic” without a trigger warning, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is under heavy attack from the liberal media. The attacks, however, quote him completely out of context and deliberately misinterpret the meaning.

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Blog

The way we make Europe great again

Feb 04, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

In an evolving, multipolar world order, Europe cannot afford to waste its energy and resources on senseless pursuits. Europe has great potential, but it lacks self-confidence. It is passing through a period of weakness, and that weakness breeds insecurity and fear that poisons the soul of the European body politic.

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News in Brief

PM Orbán: We can make Europe great again

Jan 27, 2017

The prime minister said Europe was focusing its strengths on the wrong goals, arguing that it had failed to achieve any of its plans and had become a “slave” to the “Utopian idea” of a “supranational” Europe. It's time for change.

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News in Brief

Hungary says it would be 'foolish' to hand more power to EU when member states provide the solutions

Jan 05, 2017

“It would be foolish to transfer even more spheres of competence to Brussels, especially when it is apparent that is it the member states who are providing effective solutions to historic challenges," Minister Szijjártó said

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News in Brief

Hungary to celebrate 500th anniversary of Reformation in Europe with 400 events

Dec 30, 2016

The program will include a commemorative session in Hungarian Parliament’s upper chamber, a rock version of Handel's oratorio Messiah, an art performance and much more

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News in Brief

PM Orbán approves 150 million HUF donation to rebuild Christian church

Dec 24, 2016

“Europe’s future lies in recapturing its Christian roots which still constitute the most important community-building power that any town or country can have," PM Orbán said

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News in Brief

Europe and Middle East must cooperate to fight terrorism

Dec 21, 2016

"Countries in Europe and in the Arab world must cooperate in efforts to fight terrorism and build security," Hungary's foreign minister has said

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Blog

Frontex prepares for everything but border protection

Nov 21, 2016 - Zoltán Kovács

“These people aren’t involved in border protection,” said Prime Minister Orbán of the newly established Frontex unit proposed to the management board. Frontex, of course, is the EU agency that was set up to manage cooperation among national border guards and help secure the EU’s external border. The problem with the proposed, new unit is that it is for anything but guarding European borders and coastlines. Plus, it is ridiculously weak in numbers.

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Speeches and Remarks Prime Minister

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s speech at the conference “Saint Martin and Europe”

Nov 16, 2016

November 10, 2016, Budapest

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News in Brief

Hungary is in Trump's corner

Nov 15, 2016

The election of Trump is “expressly good news for the world” since the views of the president-elect on the “export of democracy” are “favorable for the world," Hungary's foreign minister said

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Speeches and Remarks Prime Minister

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s press statement by the Bulgarian-Turkish border [full text in English]

Sep 15, 2016

September 14, 2016, Lesovo (Лесoвo)

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News in Brief

Muslim conquest in Europe threatens Christianity

Sep 02, 2016

Judeo-Christian and Islamic religious systems can't be integrated because of the “vast contrast” between the two cultures

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News in Brief

PM Orban: Referendum tsunami will hit the EU

Aug 19, 2016

Hungarian Prime Minister believes that the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland will follow Hungary's lead by voting against the EU's forced migration quotas

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Prime Minister

“Are You Opposed to Peace?”

Jul 12, 2016 - Viktor Orbán

Europe owes much to the EU. Reference to historical truth, however, is not enough to ensure its survival. The Union can only be successful again if it restores citizens’ sense of security.

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Blog

PM Orbán on Brexit: It happened because of Europe’s failure to resolve the migration crisis

Jun 29, 2016 - Zoltán Kovács

As hideous terror attacks at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport draw attention away from this week’s European Summit and politicians struggle to find the appropriate response to the outcome of the Brexit referendum, EU leadership seems to be grasping for direction.

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Blog

Here’s the problem with the twisted story from Brussels about how Hungary segregates Roma kids

Jun 20, 2016 - Zoltán Kovács

Infringement procedures – a legal tool designed to make sure European laws are harmonized – arise from time to time for all EU members states. It’s just part of life in a union comprising 28 countries and one set of European acquis.

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Blog

PM Orbán: Europe Needs a Stable Egypt

Jun 03, 2016 - Zoltán Kovács

Following his meeting with the “Sunni Pope,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán talked about Europe’s catastrophic interventions in the Islamic world, the need for a stable Egypt and a re-stabilized Libya in his regular radio interview this week. He also touched upon the Brexit referendum and the dangers of the evolving democratic deficit in today’s European Union.

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News in Brief

Hungary hailed as eastern Europe's leading nation

May 27, 2016

Poland's once dominating image as eastern Europe's flagship economy is being eroded by a star performing Hungary

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News in Brief

EU Ministers back Hungary’s migration proposal

May 26, 2016

“The conclusions of Monday’s meeting of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council include every single Hungarian proposal,” Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said following the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

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Blog

PM Orbán Demands Democratic EU, Exposes Soros-Clinton Ties and Political Agenda

May 20, 2016 - Zoltán Kovács

While elites will inevitably maneuver to shape politics in a democracy, it is up to the people to decide on a country’s direction, Prime Minister Orbán emphasized in his regular radio interview this morning. Every thirty years or so, Hungary finds itself in the spotlight on the stage of international politics, he said, but people should not allow themselves to be deterred by the blinding spotlights.

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News in Brief Prime Minister

Who's really the boss of Europe? Prime Minister Orban performs impressively on EU power matrix

Apr 29, 2016

Hungary has ranked in the top 10 of Europe's most powerful nations

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News in Brief

Hungary supports Serbia’s EU membership

Apr 14, 2016

At a meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić in the norther Serbian town of Novi Sad on Wednesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, when asked about Croatia’s attempts to hinder the opening of one of Serbia’s chapters of acquis, said that Hungary supports Serbia’s EU membership.

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News in Brief

We expect the opposition to behave responsibly

Apr 12, 2016

In connection with talks on the anti-terrorism action plan, Antal Rogán, head of the cabinet office of the prime minister, explained that he has asked opposition parties not to underestimate the extent of the terrorist threat.

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Blog

‘We don’t like to live off of other peoples’ money’

Apr 12, 2016 - Zoltán Kovács

Yes, the loan is paid off. Commenting last week on the good news, Prime Minister Orbán said that “Every Hungarian family has a good reason to open a good bottle of red wine tonight and drink to the health of the country because yesterday we succeeded in settling the old debt that the previous government took on in 2008."

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Blog

They’ve changed their tune -- from Wilkommenskultur to Auf Wiedersehen

Apr 04, 2016 - Zoltán Kovács

In February, I posted a few examples of how certain leaders were beginning to sing a distinctly different tune on the growing migration challenge. The title of the post was “Migration and European Borders: That Moment When Other EU Leaders Sound Like Prime Minister Orbán.”

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News in Brief

Minister Balog: ‘We are at war, but not with Islam’

Mar 31, 2016

In Budapest on Wednesday, at a conference commemorating the 100th anniversary of Islam’s recognition as a religion in Hungary, Minister of Human Capacities Zoltán Balog said that a dialogue is required with Islam, and it needs partners.

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Prime Minister News in Brief

“We have avoided the greatest danger,” says PM Orbán After EU Summit

Mar 21, 2016

Concerning the agreement between the European Union and Turkey, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that Hungarian diplomacy has achieved its goals.

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News in Brief

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán holds talks in Brussels with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko

Mar 17, 2016

Before a meeting of the European People’s Party in Brussels, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán held talks with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.

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News in Brief Prime Minister

Agreement Reached on Closure of Borders

Mar 08, 2016

The times are over when one can travel on the Western Balkan routes without controls. EU leaders have decided that the routes of people smugglers must be closed, which means that order must also be restored at the borders, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told journalists in Brussels after the summit of the leaders of the European Union and Turkey in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

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Prime Minister News in Brief

‘Direct Migrant Resettlement is Out of the Question,’ says PM Orbán

Mar 08, 2016

“Frontiers must be closed down,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had said at the beginning of the day, “in other words: the legal framework has to be restored. The Schengen agreement must be kept word-by-word, so no one can come through without registration and permission.”

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News in Brief

The Number of Migrants is Increasing Despite Protective Measures

Mar 04, 2016

“The number of migrants arriving in Hungary is increasing despite the greatest possible protective measures”, Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács said on M1 Hungarian Television’s Thursday evening current affairs program

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News in Brief

We Should Have Applied Restricting Measures Earlier on in Europe

Mar 01, 2016

On Saturday, Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister György Bakondi told public television channel M1 that European countries should have applied the restricting measures – which have been recently introduced by Macedonia – against migrants to which they are entitled to in terms of the Schengen regulations from the beginning on in order to protect the external borders.

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News in Brief

Number of Illegal Migrants on Serbian-Hungarian Border on the Rise

Mar 01, 2016

The number of migrants who seek to cross the Serbian-Hungarian border illegally is on the rise: some 500 attempted to cross the border illegally in January, 650 up to 15 February, and in the last ten days 110 migrants have sought to enter Hungary illegally per day on average, György Bakondi said at his press conference held on Saturday in Budapest.

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News in Brief

Had Europe Accepted the Hungarian Solution, This is Not Where We Would Be Now

Mar 01, 2016

“Had Europe accepted the Hungarian solution to the immigration crisis a year ago, this is not where we would be now”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó told Hungarian news agency MTI on Friday.

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News in Brief

Hungary and UAE Agree on How to Best Solve Migration Crisis

Mar 01, 2016

Péter Szijjártó and the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates agreed that migration pressure on Europe and the migration crisis will not come to an end until peace is established in Syria, the fight against terrorism is successfully won and the European Union ends its policy of keeping its external borders open, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Hungarian news agency MTI on the first day of his trip to the Emirates.

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Speeches and Remarks Prime Minister

PM Orbán in State of the Nation speech: 'Europe can and must be protected'

Feb 28, 2016

Standing fast to the conviction that the European Union’s failed migration policy must be opposed and that Europe, with its common values and common history, must be protected, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in his annual State of the Nation speech today, said, “Brussels must be stopped.”

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