Europe

EU: Hungary could be fined for dual pricing

MOL petrol station

The EU Commission agreed that dual pricing is illegal under EU law and has asked for the practice of dual pricing to be stopped. The country could even face fines.

A practice against EU laws

The European Commission’s Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton on Wednesday called on Hungary to suspend the fuel’s dual pricing that discriminates against foreign vehicles filling up in the country, Reuters reports. This practice is again EU laws.

“The move marks yet another area of discord between the European Commission and Hungary. Tensions between Brussels and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have grown in recent months, including over Budapest stalling more sanctions against Russia,”

Reuters writes.

A letter to Hungary’s technology mininster

As szeretlekmagyarország.hu reports, Breton sent a letter to Minister of Technology and Industry László Palkovics, expressing concern that in Hungary, vehicles with registration plates from other EU countries have to pay 50-60% more for fuel than those with Hungarian plates.

The Commissioner asked the government to suspend the dual pricing until it is in line with EU law.

Breton warned Palkovics that it could constitute a breach of EU law and discrimination if a country linked petrol prices to registration plates, which could lead to the European Commission launching proceedings and ultimately even fining Hungary.

Dual pricing

In Hungary, the official price of HUF 480 (EUR 1.21) is still in force for cars with Hungarian licence plates. For those who want to fill up with a foreign registration, the price can be as high as HUF 760-800 (EUR 1.92-2.02) per litre, depending on the type of petrol and the station.

“I am asking you to provide us with your reply with regard to the justification and the validity period of those measures, which might constitute violations of EU law,”

Reuters quoted Breton writing in a letter to the country’s technology minister.

“I am also asking you to suspend the application of the measures until their compliance with EU law has been ensured,”

he wrote.

Read alsoHungarian elected President of the UN General Assembly

President: ‘Absolutely essential’ war in Ukraine does not escalate, ends swiftly

Katalin Novák president Hungary

It is “absolutely essential” that the war in Ukraine ends as soon as possible, and the conflict must be prevented from escalating, President Katalin Novák told public television late on Thursday.

Ending the war in Ukraine and Transcarpathian Hungarians

Referring to ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine, Novák said Transcarpathian Hungarians “should not only exist in their homeland in a hundred years’ time but Hungarian life there should thrive.” Those who have been forced to leave should be helped return and allowed to use their mother tongue, she said.

Concerning the war itself, Novák said it was “shocking” to see its “daily terrors”, but on the other hand it was also possible to witness “selfless help and acceptance even in this trying situation”.

Meanwhile, she said:

“Russia has not defined its goals, and President Putin does not even call his operations a war … so it is hard to foresee how things will develop.”

Dialogue with the opposition

Answering a question about whether she planned to restore the presidential tradition of holding regular consultations with the opposition parties, Novák said she considered it her duty to

“find a voice with everybody who seeks dialogue”.

Novák said efforts to build national unity could not be narrowed to political parties because “they are groups with different views and sharply conflicting positions”. She said it was her task to “learn about those positions and understand them as far as possible”. A presidential position, however, provides an opportunity to keep a distance from daily politics, she said.

Signing laws

The president suggested she would follow the practice of János Áder, her predecessor, and “sign a hundred laws if they are good and reject a hundred others if they are bad”.

“I will decide based on my best conscience,” she said, adding that the goal was not to “survive a five-year mandate without conflicts with anybody”.

Democracy

On another subject, Novák said democracy was a way for people to promote their will and “if people express their will in a democratic way and they make a decision that must then be taken as directions”.

“I can often see that many will take offence and be angry with others because they have made a different decision, and consider the process anti-democratic because people have not chosen their position”.

“Not everyone in Europe or in Hungary is doing especially well as far as acceptance is concerned, and they tend to declare something anti-democratic just because they don’t like it,” she said.

The EU

Concerning the European Union, Novák said Brussels had “grown to be a hydrocephalus” which is “primarily interested in maintaining and further reinforcing itself in many cases to the detriment of good decision-making”.

In the EU it was “sovereign nation states that decided to coordinate their interests and movements in certain areas, but they must not be stripped of their sovereignty or their national character”, she said.

Family policy

Meanwhile, Novák said the country’s family policy “should give a response to the serious question of why young people cannot have as many children as they would like”. It is an important challenge for the state “to help those who think they are left without support, people with financial problems prevented from having children, those with fertility issues or families with children facing difficulties,” she said.

“Saying yes to life, and to the family – living as a family in everyday life – is a cultural question,” she said, adding that “the family is important for us Hungarians”.

Novák said Hungary’s demographic indicators were “moving in a good direction”. The government “is spending a lot on family support and this has not ruined the Hungarian economy … on the contrary, thanks to one million new jobs, parents can again take up employment.”

Novák said that in five years’ time she would like to see a “smiling Hungary” which is “proud of its values and ready to fight for those values while being open to others.”

manfred weber
Read alsoEPP President: Viktor Orbán was one of the foolish guys at the EU summit

Pro-Govt Union Forum warns a threat to existence of nation states

tamás fricz cök

The existence of nation states is under threat from a range of global challenges, according to the pro-government Civic Union Forum (CÖF) and associated CÖKA foundation.

Member of CÖF’s board of trustees Tamás Fricz told a press conference on Thursday that international organisations like the World Economic Forum (WEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union had recently been working to supplant nation states.

Last month’s meeting of the WEF gave the impression that the organisation was looking to introduce a sort of “neo-Marxist, neoliberal, neo-communist world governance”,

Fricz said. Bank leaders proposed replacing cash with central bank digital currencies, “which would lead to the subjugation of citizens”, he added.

Meanwhile, at the WHO general assembly,

officials proposed that the organisation should take over pandemic-related competences from national governments so that its director-general could decide on the measures to be introduced in member states, including the imposition of a global vaccine mandate,

Fricz said. “Fortunately, the proposal was voted down,” he added.

Concerning the EU, Fricz said the bloc was determined to replace the unanimity requirement in the European Council with qualified majority voting with the aim of creating a “super federal Europe”. CÖF and CÖKA support the Hungarian government’s policy of defending national sovereignty, he added.

Read alsoHungarian elected President of the UN General Assembly

EPP President: Viktor Orbán was one of the foolish guys at the EU summit

manfred weber

The leader of the European People’s Party was furious: Manfred Weber said Orbán was one of the foolish guys at the EU summit.

Blackmailing

“Viktor Orbán blackmailed other European leaders at the EU summit and represented the interests of President Vladimir Putin at the negotiating table,”

Manfred Weber, the newly elected president of the European People’s Party last week, said in the European Parliament on Wednesday during the debate on the EU summit. As Euronews reports, Weber said that the overall outcome of last week’s EU summit was good, that progress had been made and that they were on the right track.

Orbán represents Putin’s interests

However, Weber added,

“I don’t understand why no one who has spoken so far has mentioned Viktor Orbán’s name.”

In his opinion, when people look at what happened at the last EU summit, they see that “Viktor Orbán was one of the foolish guys at the table”. Weber wondered what it must have been like to sit next to him, to live through Viktor Orbán’s blackmail, and to see the Hungarian prime minister representing Putin’s interests at the negotiating table.

The politician admitted that he had “a long personal history with Viktor Orbán”, who he said “was kicked out of the EPP two years ago”.

Not a time for decision-making

According to the EPP politician, this issue is important because many people in Europe feel and understand that the current structure is not appropriate for decision-making.

Weber said that this is the reason why the bridging clause of the Lisbon Treaty should have been initiated. This would allow for a derogation from unanimity in certain cases, i.e. no member state leader would have the veto right.

Too much money goes to Russia

Even before the EU summit, the German politician said that Russia’s war against Ukraine makes it “morally unacceptable” that hundreds of millions of euros are being transferred from the EU to Moscow every day.

“Frankly, I am fed up with Viktor Orbán dictating the pace,”

Manfred Weber said.

wizz air plane
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Foreign Minister: Hungary’s interest is strong EU with strong member states

szijjártó péter foreign minister

Hungary’s interest lies in a strong and united European Union. This, however requires first and foremost strong member states rather than a United States of Europe, the foreign minister said in parliament on Wednesday, answering a question by a co-ruling Christian Democrat lawmaker.

The Hungarian government does not agree with the “extremist and erroneous” concept aimed at creating a United States of Europe, a concept that “would eternally weaken the nations in Europe”, the foreign ministry quoted Péter Szijjártó as saying to Imre Vejkey.

“Only strong member states will make a strong EU. And a nation can only remain strong if it insists on preserving its traditions, national, cultural, religious and historical values,” Szijjártó said. According to hm, Brussels has attempted “to weaken this bond” over the past years. He also added that this could lead to “a weakening of member states and thereby of the EU as a whole”.

Hungary economy recovery moody's
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Hungary’s annual inflation was 10.7 pc in May

inflation statistics

Consumer prices in Hungary rose by an annual 10.7 percent in May, up from 9.5 percent in the previous month, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) said on Wednesday.

Food prices rose by 18.6 percent as the price of poultry climbed 34.3 percent, bread prices jumped 37.5 percent and dairy product prices increased 30.3 percent.

Prices in the category of goods that includes vehicle fuel rose by 10.5 percent with vehicle fuel prices up 10.8 percent.

Prices of spirits and tobacco products increased by 6.4 percent. Clothing prices rose by 4.0 percent, consumer durables were 11.4 percent dearer and household energy prices edged up 1.6 percent. Service prices increased by 6.8 percent.

Harmonised CPI adjusted for better comparison with other European Union member states was 10.8 percent, while core inflation, which excludes volatile fuel and food prices, was 12.2 percent.

Month on month, inflation was 1.7 percent.

draft Hungary budget 2023
Read alsoHungary’s finance minister submitted the government’s draft 2023 budget to parliament – UPDATE

Fidesz MEP: ‘We reject European left’s petty attacks’

hidvéghi balázs fidesz mep

Balázs Hidvéghi, an MEP of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz, said late on Tuesday that “we reject the series of petty attacks by the European left which have already created division and which weaken the EU’s ability to act in a crisis situation”.

“Attacks and accusations”?

Commenting on the plenary debate about the rule of law situation in Poland and the European Commission’s approval of the recovery plan for that country, Hidvéghi said the approval had come after several months of delays for Poland to access funding it is entitled to.

“The fact that the committee finally took this decision shows that all previous attacks and accusations against Poland were nothing else but political hysteria, a blackmail with no real grounds,”

the MEP told MTI.

“Ideological attacks”

He boldly said that “there are left wing and radical left deputies, groups and forces” in the European Parliament who would continue their “petty accusations and political blackmail” and their “ideological attacks against the Christian Democratic Polish government the same way they have been acting against Hungary for a long time”.

Hidvéghi said that EU member states must bond together and respect each other “when there is war next door”.

“This is the only way to make common decisions at a time when Europe is threatened by an economic, migratory and energy crisis,” he said.

Hungary is “entitled”

The MEP said the committee had to approve Hungary’s recovery plan, insisting that “Hungary is entitled to receive those funds, because the country has done all it could to prepare an appropriate plan”.

“It is time for the committee to act on this because in a war situation what is needed is unity,”

Hidvéghi said, adding that Hungary had taken in the largest number of refugees in proportion to its population.

“Withholding funding Hungarians are entitled to is part of a series of political-ideological attacks, it must be accepted that the EU is composed of 27 member states with a wide range of traditions, cultures and decisions, and creating harmony among these needs mutual trust and respect,” he said.

draft Hungary budget 2023
Read alsoHungary’s finance minister submitted the government’s draft 2023 budget to parliament – UPDATE

OMV petrol stations may close in Hungary

OMV fuel station

The Austrian OMV refinery in Schwechat has been shut down for routine maintenance. However, it was reportedly unable to restart in time. This could lead to supply problems or even the closure of petrol stations.

Problems at the OMV plant

The Austrian oil company operates the largest refinery in Central Europe in Schwechat. The plant was shut down for routine maintenance in early April. Maintenance was due to be completed on 31 May. Production was then scheduled to restart on 10 June, according to vg.hu. However, the restart was not successful for technical reasons.

OMV has not yet officially informed Mol and other partners about the problem.

Products manufactured at OMV’s refinery in Schwechat are sold in Austria and the Central and Eastern European region.

otp
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Supply problems in Hungary

Austria would export 30 kilotonnes of petrol and 50 kilotonnes of diesel per month to Hungary.

This means that OMV supplies 17-19 percent of the domestic petrol market and 13-15 percent of the diesel market. The Austrians operate 200 wells in Hungary. So OMV could easily face supply problems.

In Hungary, retail fuel prices have been capped at HUF 480 (EUR 1.22).

As both petrol and diesel are significantly more expensive across Europe, foreign suppliers are not interested in serving the Hungarian market. This effect is already being felt, napi.hu reports. OMV was the only one to maintain imports of products into the country.

The Hungarian government’s dual fuel price decree is helping to curb petrol tourism. However, during the school holidays and the summer tourist season, petrol station traffic increases significantly. Mol has therefore postponed the mandatory maintenance work.

However, from August, production at the Mol refinery in Százhalombatta will be cut by a third.

It is not only Hungary that is in trouble, but also the neighbouring countries. Supply disruptions have been reported in Slovakia. There are also problems in the Czech Republic, Poland and Austria.

OMV fuel station
Read alsoOMV petrol stations may close in Hungary

ChristDem MP: “Europe must find its way back to Christianity”

Simicskó

In Europe, “we are one of the last stewards of the Christian and democratic system established by the European Union’s founding fathers, which is an important role for us”, the group leader of the allied ruling Christian Democrats said in an interview to Thursday’s edition of the daily Magyar Hírlap.

“At the same time, it is a last chance for Europe not to forget about its roots but to rediscover them,” István Simicskó told the paper.

“The Christian Democratic ideal is a cornerstone of the government’s structure,”he said, adding that

“our most important duty is to ensure stable and predictable progress for Hungarians”.

The group leader underscored the importance of continuing to build a work-based society “where the dignity of work is unquestionable”. He also called it

an important task to “provide as much help as possible to families, the most important building blocks of society”.

In connection with the government-level management of the areas of education, health care and environmental protection, Simicskő said “we can be sure that these areas will be handled by qualified professionals”, adding that “detailed plans are in place for taking further action”.

Simicskó
Read alsoChristDem MP: “Europe must find its way back to Christianity”

Fidesz MEP hails protection of cap on utility bills

deutsch tamás mep fidesz

Tamás Deutsch, head of the Fidesz delegation in the European Parliament, has hailed Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s firm stance on the EU’s sixth sanctions package against Russia that had allowed Hungary to “protect the cap on household utility bills”.

“We have succeeded in protecting Hungarian interests against Brussels’ irresponsible proposal for an oil embargo which would have made Hungarian families pay the price of war,”

Deutsch said in a statement.

The mandate handed to the government in the April general election helps it “succeed in even the most difficult battles fought in defence of Hungarian national interests in Brussels”,

he said.

Deutsch said Hungary had succeeded in defeating the proposal for a full-scale embargo on Russian oil “even in spite of enormous political pressure from those supporting the ’mad plans’ coming from Brussels”.

The solution represented by Hungary’s prime minister is not just a guarantee for the protection of the utility bill caps for Hungarian families, but it also strengthens the idea of European unity, Deutsch said, arguing that

taking into consideration the national interests of EU member states was the fundamental idea behind the bloc.

forint euro bills
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Kovács to BBC: EU decision on oil embargo a win for common sense

kovács zoltán infringement procedure sovereignty

The decision made by European leaders on the EU embargo of Russian oil is a victory for common sense, Zoltán Kovács, the state secretary for international communication and relations, told BBC Radio 4 late on Tuesday.

Hungary is not blocking further sanctions against Russia, but any that are imposed will have to be based on common sense and the recognition that there are limits to what can be done when it comes to sanctions on energy, Kovács said. This doesn’t just apply to Hungary, but several other European Union member states as well, he added.

Landlocked EU countries like Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic depend heavily on Russian energy supply and are simply not in a position to impose immediate sanctions,

Kovács said.

He said the “golden rule” was that Europe should not impose sanctions that hurt it more than they would hurt Russia.

No one can ask Hungary to approve sanctions that would ruin its economy and Hungarian households, the state secretary said.

Put to him that Russian oil deliveries would not have been cut off overnight and that countries would have been given time to secure alternative energy supplies, Kovács said Hungary had made it clear that such a changeover could not even have been implemented over the next four to five years, let alone by the end of this year.

defence plan hungary
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Two Budapest restaurants among the most affordable with Michelin stars

essence restaurant

There are a total of 2,290 restaurants with at least one Michelin star in the world – Hungary has 7. Two Budapest restaurants are among the most affordable Michelin-starred restaurants, according to Chef’s Pencil.

Most affordable Michelin-starred restaurants

However, no Budapest restaurant is among the most expensive ones. On the contrary, France topped both lists. Chef’s Pencil has gathered Europe’s most affordable Michelin-starred restaurants, by which they mean the ones where you can buy a full meal for under EUR 30.

michelin star restaurant budapest europe
Europe’s most affordable Michelin-starred restaurants. Source: Chef’s Pencil

Apart from this list, they also made one of the 25 most expensive ones. It was also noted that soaring inflation could affect the results – if someone were to try out one of the recommended restaurants during a trip abroad, say, in the middle of summer, they might not see the same prices.

However, since Budapest has not one but two restaurants on the list of the most affordable ones, we do not have to go too far to try one out.

Essência Restaurant

Of the two restaurants in Budapest, Essência Restaurant (EUR 25 for a meal per person) got into the top 10, so it was given two paragraphs by Chef’s Pencil. They highlighted that it is run by a Portuguese-Hungarian duo, Tiago and Éva Sabarigo, and guests can enjoy the essence of both cuisines, as Portuguese and Hungarian flavours blend effortlessly in their dishes.

A three-course lunch is available for €25, and the best Portuguese and Hungarian wines are offered with the pairings.

Borkonyha

The second Hungarian restaurant on the list is Borkonyha (EUR 28 per meal per person), which offers a five-course tasting menu and more than 200 Hungarian wines.

What is more, both restaurants were also shortlisted for the Restaurant of the Year award two weeks ago.

According to player.hu, the article of Chef’s Pencil highlights Budapest as the second most underrated fine-dining destination in the world, with seven Michelin-starred restaurants – also, prices are generally much lower than in the West.

Overall

“So, if you want to enjoy a great cultural vacation mixed with fabulous food at affordable prices, head to Budapest this summer,”

writes Chef’s Pencil.

Spenot fozelek tojassal
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Hungarian FM: Threats to close transit routes of energy supplies undermines EU unity

szijjártó péter foreign minister

Threats to close the transit routes of crude oil and natural gas threaten the European Union’s unity and severely undermine solidarity between member states, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Wednesday, after talks with the Serbian finance minister.

Szijjártó told a joint press conference with Sinisa Mali that such a threat “has surfaced in some EU communications”, and that Hungary sees it as a

“severe attack on our sovereignty, energy security and security interests.”

Regarding the EU proposal to sanction Russian crude imports, Szijjártó warned that Hungary would not vote for such a scheme until it threatens the country’s energy security.

Hungary and Serbia have agreed to continue to guarantee safe transit routes for each other, the foreign ministry cited Szijjártó as saying.

Further, Hungary will allow Serbia to use Hungarian gas storage facilities to secure their supplies for the winter, he said.

The war has increased the importance of cooperation between Serbia and Hungary, he said. Hungary receives 10 million cubic meters of gas via Serbia daily, and has transported 458 million cubic meters there this year, he said.

Hungary and Serbia have also agreed to double the connections of their electric grids within the next 6-8 years, he said.

karácsony gergely mayor budapest
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New risk of corruption found in the Hungarian legal system by Brussels

VON DER LEYEN

Brussels has launched an infringement procedure against Hungary after identifying a new risk of corruption in the legal system of the country.

Getting further from EU funds?

Hungary is one step further away from EU funds, as hvg.hu put it. An infringement procedure has been opened for failure to apply EU anti-fraud rules. At the heart of the long-running dispute over EU funds is the fact that Hungary is denied access to them because the European Commission says there is a high risk of corruption, which could jeopardise the proper use of EU funds, Népszava reports.

These are communicated to the Hungarian authorities year after year in so-called country-specific recommendations,

but the Hungarian government fails to act on them.

Infringement procedures

Thus, the European Commission’s opinion has not changed, and now, it seems that the Hungarian position is deteriorating even further. The Commission has identified another risk in the Hungarian system, which has led to the opening of an infringement procedure. This position has recently come to the fore in discussions on EU recovery funds,

which has led to the European Commission refusing to approve EUR 1,500 billion in funds.

Hungary has received a formal notice

According to hvg.hu, the Commission has decided to send a letter of formal notice to Hungary for failing to correctly transpose EU rules in the fight against fraud affecting the EU’s financial interests by criminal law (Directive (EU) 2017/1371). The other three countries that received such notice are Estonia, Malta, and the Netherlands.

The aforementioned rules protect the EU budget by aligning definitions, penalties, jurisdiction rules, and limitation periods for fraud and other criminal offences against the EU’s financial interests. Hungary now has two months to respond.

If Brussels’s concerns are not dispelled, the procedure will move on to the next stage.

As we can read in the article of hvg.hu, in addition to this, four other cases have been opened or are ongoing.

Truck bringing supplies
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The Hungarian government is in secret talks regarding disengagement from Russia

So far, Hungary has vetoed any EU restriction that concerns Russian gas. The government says the reason is that it does not want to support any measure that would limit Hungary’s energy supply. Now, however, the Hungarian government is in secret talks about disengagement from Moscow.

Sanctions

Ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, the European Union has been considering sanctions against Russian natural gas. However, Hungary maintains its veto on energy sanctions against the country.

According to Telex, the thinking is that if all Russian connections are over, we have no solution.

Thus, the country wants to do everything it can to continue to buy oil and gas from Russia. But this stance is not sustainable in the long term.

Solutions to the natural gas question

So, what would be the solution to the energy question if Russia were taken out of the equation?

One possible solution would be LNG (liquefied natural gas). When it comes to natural gas, Hungary has still not let go of Russia as its main partner. However, there are quite a few potential alternatives to that:

  • strengthening the Croatian LNG pipeline;
  • purchasing and renovating LNG storage facilities;
  • constructing a pipeline from northern Italy to Slovenia and Hungary;
  • the “great northern connection”.

According to Telex, the Slovenian pipeline would provide access to LNG ports in northern Italy. At these terminals, liquefied natural gas is vaporised back into a gaseous state. Accessing them by a pipeline would help Hungarian supplies. The “great northern connection” means that

Hungary could be connected by pipeline to LNG terminals in the Baltic Sea that can receive non-Russian gas.

Long-term plans

For the time being, the Hungarian government is only looking at these options, but in the long term, it could also rely on Greek and Romanian sources.

Greece’s Alexandroupoli LNG terminal is accessible via Bulgaria. Also, it seems like Romanian gas production in the Black Sea is finally gaining momentum, although we still have a long way to go before the projected start in 2026-2027.

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TOP 5 most unique attractions in Budapest that are unrivalled in Europe – PHOTOS

budapest_bridge_castle

If you are looking for a special experience when visiting the Hungarian capital, you should not miss these unique attractions that you will not find anywhere else in Europe. Are you ready for the visual journey?! 😉

Hungarian Railway Museum

Few may know that the Hungarian capital gives home to Europe’s largest open-air railway entertainment park. The Hungarian Railway Museum is awaiting visitors from Tuesday to Sunday in Budapest’s 14th district. The park offers 100 railway curiosities on 70,000 m2. Among them are steam locomotives, diesel locomotives, electric locomotives, passenger cars, and construction machinery. In addition, visitors can also take part in interactive activities on the nostalgic diesel locomotives.

Photo: www.facebook.com/vasuttortenetipark/

The Railway Historical Park will be open to visitors free of charge on the following days in 2022: 30 April, 1 May, 19 June, 27 July, 20 August, 11 September, 23 October, and 1 November. Accordingly, it is an ideal programme for the upcoming weekend. On the other days of the year, adult tickets are HUF 2,000, and children’s tickets are HUF 1,000.

Budapest Pinball Museum

As Hungarian news portal Funzine reports, the Pinball Museum in Budapest’s 13th district is one of the top favourites of foreign tourists visiting the country. The largest permanent interactive museum in Europe opened in 2014. Here, we can find slot machines from the 19th century, as well as modern pinball machines of all periods, covering almost 400 square metres.

Photo: www.facebook.com/PbalGalleryFlipper/

In addition to watching the slot machines, you can also touch and try them for an even more perfect guest experience. Budapest’s Pinball Museum awaits visitors from Wednesday to Sunday. In addition to daily visits, the gallery can also be rented for private events.

Museum of Sweets and Selfies

Besides nostalgic exhibitions, the Hungarian capital hosts modern themes as well. Europe’s first interactive selfie museum is located in Budapest. Since its inauguration in 2018, the museum is particularly popular with foreigners. Thanks to the great success, one year later, another candy and selfie museum, Bubbles, was opened nearby.

Photo: www.facebook.com/szelfimuzeum/

The colourful, fun installations were spread over 2 floors, covering a total of 400 square metres. As showy sweets also played a major role in the concept’s design, it was almost natural that the space was complete with an experiential confectionery. A student ticket for 90 minutes costs HUF 2,500, while adults can enter the selfie paradise for HUF 3,500.

Hungarian Parliament Building

The Hungarian Parliament Building is the world’s third-largest parliament building and one of the oldest legislative buildings in Europe. Its construction was carried out by Imre Steindl, a professor at the University of Technology. It started in 1885 and was inaugurated in 1896, on the 1,000th anniversary of the conquest of Hungary.

Budapest Duna Danube Parliament Parlament
Photo: Hungarian Parliament Photo: Pixabay / Hermann

With its height of 96 metres, the neo-Gothic Parliament of Budapest is the largest building in Hungary, located along the River Danube. Thanks to its spectacular architectural style, the building has become a popular tourist destination. To visit the Hungarian Parliament Building, tickets can be purchased in advance at www.jegymester.hu/parlament.

Dohány Street Synagogue

The Hungarian capital gives home to the largest synagogue in Europe and the second-largest synagogue in the world, after Jerusalem. The Dohány Street Synagogue is located in Budapest’s 7th district, and it is no coincidence that it is very popular with visitors.

synagogue, Hungary, Budapest
Photo: Wikimedia Commons by Varirus

The complex is among Budapest’s most exclusive buildings, constructed in 1859 in Moorish style. It has a capacity of 3,000, with an interior of 1,200 square metres, as well as towers 44 metres high. The view inside and outside is breathtaking. The adult entrance fee costs HUF 7,000, including a guided tour and special temporary exhibitions on Jewish culture and religion.  

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Hungary to lose significant EU funding?

eu building flags

Now it is almost certain that Hungary is going to lose a part of its EU funding. When and how much? That still remains a question.

No funding

As 168.hu put it, Viktor Orbán needs to come up with new fundraising tactics. Hungary has not received EU funding recently and is not likely to receive it for some time either. 24.hu has analysed the situation.

The first issue is that the parties have not yet signed the Partnership Agreement for the 2021-2027 budget. On top of that, Brussels has not approved the Hungarian government’s spending plans for the Recovery Fund, so

Hungary has not received any EU funds recently and will not receive any in the near future.

The problem seems to be so significant that Viktor Orbán has even mentioned that the Hungarian government might be compelled to raise money through bond issues.

Which areas?

According to 24.hu, it is not clear even to EU experts which funds can be withdrawn and from which sectors. The areas affected by public procurement are the ones where corruption is most evident: these are in direct conflict with the financial interests of the EU budget.

In theory, the procedure could apply to all EU funds, since all the money is coming from the EU taxpayers and the European Commission has to ensure that the Hungarian government uses it properly. The Brussels experts 24.hu consulted do not expect comprehensive sanctions, nor do they foretell punishments of a magnitude that would bankrupt the Hungarian economy.

How much money?

Experts say that sanctions of a few hundred million euros can be expected. They do not expect the EU to withdraw billions of euros at the end of the months-long procedure. In addition, the sanction must not be excessive. It must be proportionate to the infringement found, and it is understood that the Commission is targeting funds whose beneficiaries are public bodies, not, for example, municipalities or hospitals.

“The sanction, if there is going to be a cut in the amount of aid, say, a 10% cut in one of the budgets, that means that it’s going to be cut by that much, so the amount of money cannot be transferred to another area. But the penalty could also be a suspension of the payment of funds; for example, Hungary will not receive any aid in 2024,”

writes 24.hu.

Read alsoAmerican diplomat: Putin wants to conquer Hungary

The Washington Post: the European Union helped Orbán build his autocracy

orbán viktor prime minister

According to The Washington Post, the European Union is assisting the autocracy of Viktor Orbán, who could not have created the current system in Hungary on his own.

Support from the EU

As mandiner.hu writes, according to the US paper, the Hungarian prime minister could never have built his autocracy without “generous support from the E.U.”. US and European leaders alike are concerned that we are in the midst of a global struggle between democracy and authoritarianism. Yet, the EU is giving way to two of the world’s most rapidly autocratising countries, Hungary and Poland, The Washington Post wrote in its opinion piece.

“The E.U. won a Nobel Prize in 2012 in part for promoting ‘democracy and human rights in Europe’. So why is it that the E.U. is home to the two most rapidly autocratizing countries in the world, Poland and Hungary? And why is the E.U. funding this democratic backsliding?”

the paper poses this very important question.

“Hybrid regime”

According to the news site, both governments continue to receive billions of euros in subsidies from the EU, while expressing their contempt for the EU, and “dismantling democratic institutions”. As we can read in mandiner.hu’s article, Hungary is no longer a democracy, according to rating bodies such as the V-Dem Institute and Freedom House.

These organisations say that

Viktor Orbán has turned the country into an “electoral autocracy” or “hybrid regime”.

That is a country that maintains formal elements of democracy but tilts the playing field in favour of the ruling party. This was evident in the recent elections, so the regime does not meet the traditional minimum standards of democracy.

The paper writes that Viktor Orbán could never have built his autocracy without the generous support of the EU, which funds Fidesz’s support through a complex system of rural voters who profit from contracts with the government, exchanging public works, cash, and food for votes.

The Washington Post article also subtly compared Viktor Orbán to Vladimir Putin:

“[…] a New York Times investigation found that Orban’s government had distributed land to “his family members and close associates,” allowing them to benefit from E.U. farming subsidies. While Russian President Vladimir Putin’s oligarchs are enriched by oil and gas revenue, Orban’s oligarchs feed on E.U. funds.”

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