EU Code Week celebrates 10 years of innovation and learning in Hungary
EU Code Week is an annual initiative that aims to bring coding and digital literacy to the widest possible audience by making it more accessible to people across Europe and beyond. Organised by volunteers and supported by the European Commission, it consists of a series of activities held in various locations throughout the year. This year marks the tenth anniversary of Hungarian schools’ involvement with EU Code Week, which is a good time to reflect on its impact, with insights from Zsolt Jánossy, a full-time Physics teacher in the Gödöllői Török Ignác High School on the outskirts of Budapest.
Hungary joined the EU Code Week movement in 2014 as one of the first nations marking its inaugural participation with the astonishing figure of 53 events its first year,. Since then, there has been a steady rise in interest and engagement. By 2023, the number of events surged to 1,743, indicating a growing enthusiasm for coding and digital skills. During this time Hungary always ranked in the first 20 countries on the scoreboard of the Code Week events.
Zsolt Jánossy’s journey with EU Code Week 10 years ago, having been involved in different Code Week activities for years and becoming Code Week Ambassador in 2023. His background as a Physics teacher liaises with his passion for digital education have come with the development of learning materials at different levels and works also as a Digital Advisor for education. He is also involved with the organization of Digitális Témahét (Digital Project Week), a national initiation promoting project pedagogy supported by digital technology.
Focus on inclusivity and community engagement
At Gödöllői Török Ignác High SchoolGödöllői in Budapest, Zsolt affirms that “our efforts are focused on teaching Physics using digital technology: smartphones, computer and robots”. In 2023, they even extended invitations to children from nearby institutions, fostering inclusivity and community engagement.
The objective of the Code Week community in Hungary following Zsolt words is “we are trying to make algorithmic thinking, coding and the development of digital competencies more popular and available for all people, even in the most remote corners of Hungary”. He teaches over a hundred students every year in activities related to the EU Code Week, but thousands more are involved in the programme developed in Hungary.
For him, the greater milestone achieved as a Code Week teacher and ambassador was organizing the first Code Week Conference in Hungary and he finds very enriching the whole European community built around it, “in Brussels I managed to find great colleagues with a lot of experience, and became part of an international network. It would be a challenging task to work together with colleagues on international projects”.
Zsolt encourages other teachers and educators to join Code Week in Hungary because he is “doing something essential for the future success of your students may make your professional career complete and perfect”. In his own words, it is a demand as “we live in a century when technology is rocketing, the demands from society and the job market are changing rapidly”. For him, there is no other option than joining the Code Week community in the future of education.
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New direct LCL connections between Hungary and Asia
Dachser’s Air & Sea Logistics business field, which deals with transport logistics, warehousing, and customized services in the air and sea freight sector, is significantly expanding its range of services: at the end of last year and during this year, new LCL (less than container load) lines were launched between Europe and several Asian ports, among others. This weekly delivery at fixed times is beneficial for customers whose goods do not fill an entire container in one shipment. The LCL service is also very popular in Hungary, thanks to which Dachser LCL containers depart from Shanghai and Ningbo in China every week with a direct arrival in Budapest.
At the end of 2023, Dachser‘s new weekly fixed export and import lines started: from Rotterdam, Netherlands to Shanghai in China, to Nhava Sheva in India, and to Dubai, which is an important distribution point for the Gulf countries, and from Shanghai and Shenzhen in China to Europe. The range is expected to be expanded with additional LCL connections during this year.
Partial loads in sea shipping are basically used to allow senders to share the space and costs of a container if their cargo would otherwise not fill the entire container. However, Dachser’s service offers more than just sharing. On the one hand, weekly LCL sailings make transportation extremely flexible, customers can send smaller shipments more often, and they don’t have to wait for an entire container to be full. On the other hand, within the Dachser network, LCL shipping is only one element of the very efficient network, within which sea, air, road and rail transport connects even the most distant points of the world.
Dachser manages the entire supply chain of shipments. For example, an export shipment with an Asian destination is transported from its sender in Europe by road, by truck to one of the company’s designated European Logistics (EL) warehouses. Here, the containers are assembled, the individual shipments are loaded together with other shipments, then the container is transported to the port, and finally delivered by ship to the destination port overseas. Here, Dachser Air & Sea Logistics employees take care of customs clearance and delivery to the final destination. In the opposite direction, the container travels by sea and land in the same way – after the voyage by container vessel is completed, a truck takes it to the company’s warehouse, where the shipments are broken down and delivered to their destination via the EL network. In all countries in which Dachser is represented by European logistics branches, no third parties are involved in the process, not even the unloading and loading of shipments, everything takes place in Dachser’s own logistics facilities.
“We reliably manage and optimize the entire customer supply chain through LCL routes and the Dachser groupage network,” says Christian Kruse, Head of Dachser Global Ocean Freight LCL. “Our international teams provide professional work on all continents, even though they are not in an easy situation – after the COVID crisis, the Red Sea crisis makes shipping goods by sea difficult. Despite this, the integrated, network-oriented service they implement is unique in the market.”
LCL shipments arrive in Hungary from Shanghai and Ningbo every week. “As everywhere at Dachser, in our case too, many people work within the network to ensure that the goods sent to the country from the other side of the world reach their destination in the most optimal way,” says György Tamás, country manager business field Air & Sea Logistics at Dachser in Hungary, who plans the launch of additional direct lines. “Dachser’s colleagues in Asia take care of picking up and loading the goods into containers. At destination, we ensure that the shipment arrives at the domestic warehouse by combined rail/road transport. After the customs clearance solution chosen by the customer our business line European Logistics delivers it to the final recipient. The system works smoothly and flexibly with the offices and colleagues involved in the delivery process.”
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Hungarian Parliament Speaker: Let Europe belong to Europeans
Parliamentary speaker László Kövér said on Thursday that the position of Hungary’s national policy “cannot be anything other than: let Europe belong to Europeans”.
Kövér told a plenary session of a forum of ethnic Hungarian MPs from the Carpathian Basin (KMKF) that European people must be given back the right to democratically decide if they want war or peace.
“Let them freely decide who should be allowed to enter Europe and who should not be allowed,” Kövér said.
He added that the European Union had a future only if “the European social majority of normality” could also acquire political majority.
The task of Hungary’s national policy and the task of KMKF is to seek cooperation with those “that together with us want to prevent that our nations disappear, and the European Union sinks in tyranny or anarchy”.
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- EPP President Manfred Weber to visit Budapest for talks with Péter Magyar
- Homeless support programme launched in Hungary
Featured image: depositphotos.com
New research reveals the cost of international education in Europe in 2023
International Schools Database has compared the cost of international schools in 2023.
The key findings of the research are the following:
- Budapest sets the average in prices in Europe for international schools: 14th out of 31 cities.
- Eastern Europe’s reputation as a cheaper part of the continent does not hold up when it comes to international school fees. 6 of the 8 Eastern European cities in the research have median prices of over $10,000 per year.
- Some major European capital cities are lower in the price rankings than you may expect. Rome, Berlin, Madrid, and Amsterdam all feature in the lower half of the price scale.
- Switzerland continues to be significantly more expensive than the rest of Europe for international schooling. Median prices in Swiss cities are a minimum of 16% higher than any other European city included in the research.
In 2022, the International Schools Database saw an Eastern European city – Latvia’s capital, Riga – enter the top 10 most expensive cities for international schooling for the first time. This reveals something most people may not realise – that Eastern Europe is not all that cheap when it comes to international school fees.
Of the 8 Eastern European cities included in the research in 2023, 6 of them fall within the top 20 most expensive. They are Riga, Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest, Prague, and Warsaw. Only Vilnius and Sofia are positioned in the bottom 10. To put this in context, the median price in Riga stands at $18,165 per year, while in Sofia it is significantly less at $7,560 per year.
On the other side of the coin, some very well-known European capitals are much further down in the rankings than you may expect. Rome in Italy, Berlin in Germany, Madrid in Spain, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands are all in the bottom half of our rankings with median prices of $11,508, $11,225, $9,409 and $6,429 per year respectively. Of these cities, Rome is the highest ranked 16th of 31 cities.
Since the research began Switzerland has always been the most expensive country in Europe for international schooling, and it has also been among the most expensive in the world. Nothing has changed in 2023. The top 3 most expensive cities in Europe are all located in Switzerland – Zurich – Zug (median price $30,701), Lausanne – Vaud (median price $17,271) and Geneva (median price $26,553).
What is becoming more clear, however, is just how significant the difference is between prices in Switzerland and the rest of Europe. For example, London is the most expensive non-Swiss city in the list with a median price of $22,725 per year. That means there is a minimum of 16% difference between London and the Swiss cities when median prices are compared. As we go further down the list of cities, this difference becomes bigger and bigger.
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Budapest restaurant among Europe’s best pizzerias!
Once again, the ranking of the best places for pizza in Europe has been established, and a Budapest pizzeria has made it into the top 50. The downtown restaurant, known for its Neapolitan-style pizzas, is no stranger to this prestigious list.
One of Europe’s best pizzerias in Budapest
The 50toppizza.it website annually compiles a ranking of the best pizzerias in Europe outside of Italy. This year, the awards were announced at a grand gala in Madrid. The only Hungarian winner was Belli di Mamma in Budapest, according to metropol.hu.
Undercover inspectors visit each pizzeria to ensure anonymity; they arrive unannounced and always pay the bill without revealing their identity. We never knew who they were. After their visit, they sent us an email inviting the pizzeria to the event,
says owner Riccardo Bianchi.
Located on Akácfa Street, the restaurant ranked 35th among the top 50 European pizzerias outside of Italy this year, compared to 26th place last year.
The Italian website that compiles the ranking praised the Hungarian restaurant:
If a Budapest local craves a pizza reminiscent of an Italian holiday, the clear choice is Belli di Mamma. This restaurant offers quick service and is a definite favorite for lovers of Neapolitan-style pizza. The toppings feature a mix of local ingredients and Italian specialties, particularly the cheeses. The wine selection is impressively Italian.
Lorenzo Giuliani, the Tuscan-born pizza chef at Belli di Mamma, sources ingredients directly from Italy, while vegetables and meats are procured from local Hungarian farmers and breeders.
“We offer Neapolitan-style pizzas, which have a much higher moisture content than the Roman-style pizzas commonly found in Hungary. Another characteristic of our Neapolitan pizza is the large crust, which allows for significantly more toppings,” reveals the pizza chef.
Not too long ago, Daily News Hungary published an exclusive article about 3 of the most unique Budapest pizzerias in which Belli di Mamma also appeared: read it HERE.
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Charges brought against 13 Hungarian and Romanian members of human trafficking gang
People smuggling charges have been brought against 13 Hungarian and Romanian nationals who as members of an international organised ring were allegedly involved in arranging for the illegal transport of more than 350 foreign nationals to western Europe, the chief public prosecutor’s office said on Thursday. One instance claimed the life of an Indian national, it added.
Charges brought against members of human trafficking ring
According to the indictment, the ring led by a Romanian man arranged for the transport of foreigners first by plane to Serbia and smuggled them later on in vans through Hungary and Austria to final destinations in western Europe, the office said in a statement.
The fatality occurred in Aug 2022 in Budapest’s 9th district when the Indian man was one of the 20 illegal migrants jammed in a van that had no ventilation.
Most of the suspects are in custody over charges of people smuggling and torturing humans and face prison terms or a fine and expulsion from Hungary.
The Romanian ring leader is facing a legal procedure by the Romanian authorities, according to the statement.
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FM Szijjártó: Hungary example of East-West cooperation benefits
Hungary is “an excellent example for the benefits cooperation between East and West could yield,” Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said on Thursday adding that Hungary “seeks to stay in the forefront of that trend in future”.
The foreign ministry quoted Szijjártó as speaking at an event organised by China’s Fiberhome, where the minister said that the telecommunication equipment provider would set up an optical cable plant in Kisbér, north-west Hungary, with an initial investment of 6.5 billion forints (EUR 16.8m). The investment which will create 120 jobs will be supported by a 970 million forint government grant, the minister said.
Szijjártó said the project would “contribute to increasing the technological level of the Hungarian economy and further strengthen the Hungarian electronics sector, which provides employment to 130,000 people and produced goods worth a combined 11,000 billion froints last year.”
Szijjártó noted that bilateral trade had exceeded 12 billion US dollars last year, the highest volume between Hungary and a non-EU state. Hungary also attracts the most foreign direct investment from China among Central European countries, he added.
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Travel and tourism: Hungary overtakes its neighbours in fresh ranking!
Hungary ranked 37th in the 2024 Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI), ahead of several neighbouring countries. The country has moved up 5 places since 2019. At the top of the list are the United States, Spain and Japan.
According to the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI), Hungary ranked 37th out of 119 countries, with a score of 4.27. This means that it is up 5 places compared to the last year before the coronavirus pandemic (2019).
About the Travel and Tourism Development Index
“Covering 119 economies, the TTDI measures the set of factors and policies that enable the sustainable and resilient development of the T&T sector, which in turn contributes to the development of a country,” the publication writes.
The United States tops the list (with 5.24 points), followed by Spain, Japan, France, Australia and Germany (with 5.18, 5.09, 5.07, 5.00 and 5.00 points, respectively). Interestingly, Hungary ranks 24th among European/Eurasian countries, ahead of neighbouring Croatia, Slovenia and Romania, Index writes.
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Fidesz-close Századvég: European public opposes sending soldiers abroad
Some 59 percent of European Union citizens said they would be willing to fight for their country at home, 27 percent said they would also be willing to fight beyond the borders, but 69 percent said they were against the participation of their soldiers in Ukraine, pollster Századvég said on Wednesday citing a survey dubbed Europe Project.
A total of 27 percent of European citizens said they would not fight for their country even within home borders and 54 percent said they were against fighting for their country abroad.
The highest willingness to protect the country at home was registered among Lithuanians (74 percent) and among Estonians and Hungarians (70 percent each), the Századvég statement said.
The percentage of people willing to fight for their country beyond home borders was under 50 percent in all the countries surveyed, and only in Lithuania the ratio of supporters (46 percent) was higher than the percentage of those against (28 percent).
Only 23 percent of Germans said they would be willing to fight for their country beyond home borders, and 60 percent was against.
The highest rejection of fighting for their country beyond the home borders was registered among Hungarians (75 percent) and among Austrians and Belgians (66 percent).
Only 25 percent of the Europeans surveyed by Századvég said they were not against sending soldiers to fight in Ukraine.
The ratio of those who support sending soldiers to Ukraine was not higher then the proportion of those that oppose this in any EU state, with Hungarians (91 percent) and Bulgarians (86 percent) being most against supporting Kyiv by sending soldiers.
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Orbán: Development of Balkans in Hungary’s interest
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met Milorad Dodik, the president of the Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for talks in his office on Wednesday, the prime minister’s press chief said.
Orbán supports development of Balkans
The sides were in agreement that existing political tensions in the Balkans should not be overlooked even in the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine war, Bertalan Havasi said.
Orbán said that Hungary had a vested interest in the peaceful development of the region and the sides therefore agreed to further strengthen political and economic cooperation between Hungary and Republika Srpska.
Szijjártó calls for end to ‘stoking unnecessary tensions’ in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Wednesday called for an end to “stoking unnecessary tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, saying that actions of the international community, including the European Union, often led to the threat of new crises.
Speaking after talks with Milorad Dodik, the president of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Serbian Republic, Szijjártó told a joint press conference that peace and stability at the Western Balkans were key to those of the continent. Hungary will do everything in its power to promote it during its EU presidency starting in July, he added.
Speeding up EU enlargement is one of the best ways to allay tensions, Szijjártó said. “Unfortunately, European decisions often end up ruining basically immediately the hard-won fragile results in the region.”
Bosnia and Herzegovina started accession negotiations in March, and was progressing well amid “a consensus of every entity on becoming an EU member as soon as possible”, Szijjártó said.
“That harmony was ruined by the High Representative’s decision to interfere in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s internal affairs by changing the election law unilaterally, aggressively, and under his own authority,” Szijjártó said, referring to the Office of the High Representative tasked with implementing the civilian aspects of the peace agreement ending the war in the Balkans.
A UN proposal on a declaration on the Srebrenica massacre, “practically demonising the entire Serbian nation”, is having the same effect, Szijjártó said. Hungary will vote against the proposal, he said.
International political players should stop stoking tensions in Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as interfering in its internal affairs, he said.
They “must give back Bosnia-Herzegovina’s sovereignty and refrain from hindering a swift European integration,” he added.
“Hungary will do everything in its power to achieve that, and we aim to convene the first inter-governmental meeting during its tenure,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hungary remains committed to the “best, most effective and highest-level cooperation between Hungary and the Republika Sprska,” he said.
Commenting on the EU adopting the New Pact on Migration and Asylum on Tuesday, Szijjártó said Hungary would not allow illegal immigrants into the country, “no matter how aggressive they are in Brussels”. Hungary’s stance is “definitive and unchangeable” as it had been legitimised by a referendum, he insisted.
At a referendum on migration, Hungary said illegal migrants were not allowed into the country, and Hungary would reject all redistribution schemes, he said.
Hungarians will decide on who to accept into the country, and “we will defend ourselves by physical and legal means”, he said.
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Hungary celebrates its 20th anniversary of European Union membership
Exactly 20 years ago, on 1 May 2004, the European Union underwent the biggest enlargement in its history: among 9 others, Hungary became a member state of the EU.
On 1 May 2004, the number of European Union member states increased from 15 to 25, with the admission of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Euronews assesses the enlargement as follows: the economy and society of the EU have benefited from the enlargement, but there are policy gaps that arose in recent years. Overall, the EU saw a 20% increase in population and almost the same in its territory. Total GDP increased, but only by circa 9%, while GDP per capita fell.
In political terms, the launch of the Article 7 procedure against Hungary and Poland, which can be used in the event of systemic breaches of fundamental values, and the invocation of the rule of law mechanism against Hungary to curb financial abuses, were both politically disruptive.
Taking stock of the EU accession in Hungary
Átlátszó.hu looked at the last 20 years through Hungarian eyes, writing that the country has gained several benefits, perhaps the most important of which is the significant economic support Hungary has received, as well as the freedom to travel and work along with the free flow of capital in the region.
The abolition of price-increasing tariffs has made shopping cheaper and safer, and exports of Hungarian products have increased, and the Schengen Agreement ensures free travel within the EU.
Without EU membership, Hungary’s GDP would be 20% lower. Between 2004 and 2022, Hungary received more than EUR 83 billion in funds, four times larger than what it paid into the joint budget: it is clear that Hungary is a net economic beneficiary of the European Union.
However, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has launched multiple investigations into suspected fraud in Hungary, due to the misuse of EU funds. In 2022, the country had the highest number of suspected fraud cases in the whole of the Union, according to the office.
One thing is yet to come to Hungary: the euro
Although a frequent topic of debate, Hungary has yet to adopt the euro. While according to the governor of the Hungarian National Bank, György Matolcsy, joining the eurozone can be feasible before 2030, Átlátszó.hu is more pessimistic. It asserts that the country is not yet ready to adopt the joint currency any time soon,
“because Hungary cannot meet the necessary requirements: inflation is too steep and the Hungarian budget deficit is too high.”
Out of the others that joined the EU at the same time as Hungary, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, now all pay with the euro.
20 years ago, accession to the European Union was welcomed with great joy
Szabad Európa looked at newspapers of the time, finding that people were excited about joining the European Union: the papers had been full of EU news and interviews for weeks before 1 May, with only a few articles discussing the potential downsides of the membership.
Interestingly, even at the time, there were snippets of fake news circulating about the European Union, which newspapers tried to refute in special columns. For instance, some people spread rumours that EU regulations would require pigs to be given toys to keep them from getting bored or that cucumbers with a curve could not be sold in stores because they did not meet EU standards.
Both in and outside Budapest, there were concerts and parades, in many cases combined with the May Day celebrations. In some towns, there was even a countdown to midnight, when fireworks went off to signal the new era in Hungarian history.
In one restaurant in Gyula, the accession was celebrated with the preparation of “ten of the most unhealthy but delicious Hungarian dishes”, including sugary bread, egg and marrow, pork and marrow, and roast pork and potatoes fried in sausage-fat.
In the Budapest City Park, a “Europe-cocktail” was prepared in a 1.5 metre, 350-litre mixing glass, from the famous drinks of 16 member countries – including 3 types of vodkas, 3 liqueurs, brandy, gin and vermouth – serving 2,000 thirsty visitors.
On the Chain Bridge, breakfast was served to children born on 1 May, to whom representatives from four parliamentary parties sang “Happy Birthday!” together.
“It was a time when the whole country rejoiced together; there has not been anything like that ever since,”
Szabad Európa writes. Indeed, before accession, 84% of the population supported EU membership.
Changing Hungarian rhetoric on the European Union
Viktor Orbán had already voiced criticisms of the EU prior to accession. In 2003, Magyar Narancs quoted him saying:
“Hungary is an independent state, and it would be good if […] the European Union would also recognise this […] Brussels is not Moscow, and the European Union, in our view, is not the Comecon […] We are not willing to enter the European Union with a Muscovite spirit, and we would like to be welcomed there with a non-Moscovite spirit.”
Nevertheless, Fidesz politicians all supported Hungary becoming part of the Union.
On the day of accession, the government and Fidesz, in opposition at the time, celebrated with their own events. Today, the relationship with the EU shows a different picture: the government has been increasingly vocal in its criticism of “Brussels” for years. This year, they did not organise any central celebrations to mark the accession.
Although Viktor Orbán has repeatedly stressed that he does not want Hungary to leave the EU, Átlátszó.hu highlights the consequence of his messages: according to a survey from 2023, 44% of adults believe that the policies advocated by Orbán could lead to a “Huxit”.
Illustrating the government’s rhetoric on the EU, in his speech on 15 March this year, Orbán memorably declared: “We must occupy Brussels!”
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Hungarian FM Szijjártó: Countries that are brave enough to be pro-peace need to cooperate
“Cooperation is needed between countries that are brave enough to speak up for an early peace in Ukraine, which could promote a diplomatic settlement,” Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Dushanbe on Tuesday.
According to a statement from the foreign ministry, Szijjártó held talks with Sirojiddin Muhriddin, his Tajik counterpart, in Tajikistan’s capital.
“Some political leaders of Europe, unfortunately, think that they are at war and so is Europe, while it is not true: the war is between Ukraine and Russia,” he stressed. He said the longer the war lasted, the greater the risk of further escalation was.
Szijjártó noted that he was meeting his Tajik counterpart for the 11th time, “which shows the importance of bilateral ties for both countries”.
Hungary and Tajikistan have signed an agreement on security cooperation and coordination of the war against crime, the ministry said citing Szijjártó.
Szijjártó said after talks with Muhriddin that relations between the two countries were based on mutual respect and the agreement on security cooperation and the fight against crime was the result of common views they shared about the importance of peace and the fight againts terrorism.
He added that similarly to Hungary, Tajikistan also called for a peace agreement in Ukraine as soon as possible.
Hungary is preparing to fulfil the rotating presidency of the European Union and priorities for the community in the upcoming period now include strengthening cooperation with central Asia, he said.
“No wonder, since the central Asian region is developing very dynamically and the failed sanctions against Russia that caused more damage to Europe also resulted in the rearrangement of east-west trade routes, with the role of central Asia having increased considerably for Europe’s trade with the East,” he added.
He said that he had agreed with his Tajik counterpart that an enhanced partnership agreement between Tajikistan and the EU would be finalised during the Hungarian presidency.
“Additionally, we will ensure that Tajikistan receives financial support from the EU for the success of its border protection efforts, considering that Tajikistan has a vely long 1,500 km border with Afghanistan from where we know that the threat of terrorism continually starts towards Europe,” he said.
“And if the Tajiks cannot hold this back and they cannot protect the Tajik-Afghan border, then Europe will face an even more severe challenge of terrorism in the upcoming period,” he added.
He assured Muhriddin of Hungary’s support for Tajikistan to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council by the end of the decade and said that the government will maintain its offer of annual twenty scholarships for Tajik students to study at Hungarian universities.
Szijjártó: ‘Nuclear war madness’ can only be ended by voting for pro-peace politicians
The conflict in Ukraine must be ended swiftly to prevent “nuclear war madness”, and that is possible only with a surge of pro-peace forces at the European parliamentary elections, the foreign minister said.
Szijjártó said the war was posing increasing challenges “due to the increasing degree of massacre and destruction, the growing weapon deliveries, and because some European politicians are whipping themselves into war madness, to the point where nuclear war madness has also appeared in the European discourse.”
“War madness in Western Europe has reached a new dimension and turned into a sort of nuclear war madness. We have heard the French and Polish presidents speak about the possibility of nuclear war.”
Szijjártó said that should the war in Ukraine spread further, it was likely to escalate into a third world war and possibly a nuclear war, “and in that case, everything and everyone will be lost, which no one with any common sense can wish for.”
Szijjártó called for a ceasefire and peace talks as soon as possible. “The European parliamentary elections on June 9 could be a great step in that direction, because people can save Europe and the world from the madness of a nuclear war,” he said, and called on Hungarians to cast their votes, “and don’t forget . that nuclear war madness can be ended by voting for Fidesz.”
Orbán: Europe balancing the edge between peace, war
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán arrived in Kaposvár, in southern Hungary, on the campaign trail, where he had talks with Mayor Károly Szita and met voters, the PM’s press chief said on Tuesday.
Orbán said “the world is balancing on a knife’s edge”, adding that humanity was on the border between peace and a devastating war that would destroy everything.
“In the past two world wars, we Hungarians learnt that war was a bad thing, a devastating flood that carries everything away. First of all, it brings death and suffering, but it also takes families’ savings, the house and animals. It tramples countries’ economy into the ground and shoots prices into the sky. So when we raise our voices for peace, we’re defending not only human lives but our economy too,” Bertalan Havasi cited Orbán as saying.
The most important thing is to create peace, Orbán said. “Instead of pro-war leftist representatives, we must send pro-peace, right-wing representatives into European institutions,” he said.
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Hungarian minister Bóka: Joining the EU was a decision with no alternative
Hungary’s joining the European Union in 2004 was “a decision with no alternative”, János Bóka, the minister of EU affairs, said on Tuesday, but added that “the EU is facing a series of challenges and crises and has given ill-advised responses in the past five-year cycle.”
Bóka: Being European integral part of national identity
“Being European has become an integral and inalienable part of our national identity: we can only be Europeans as Hungarians and as Hungarians, we cannot be at home but within the community of European nations,” he said on Facebook. Hungary’s European integration had been aimed to “build a Europe of strong and sovereign nation states”, he added.
Bóka said, however, that “we must take an honest account instead of celebrating the anniversary with empty phrases”. Similarly to the original aim of the community, the EU is expected to guarantee peace and security in Europe, the minister said. “We must reinforce Europe’s security and defence policies and prevent Europe, by all means, from getting involved in the war,” he added.
The EU keeps losing its economic competitiveness, Bóka added, and called for reversing that trend. The EU should conclude “a new competitiveness pact” with European citizens and economic players, he said.
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Hungarian defence minister: Most important thing is peace
Hungarian Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky told the Budapest Security Dialogue conference on Friday that Europe “is strangely consumed by war fever”, even though “the most important thing is peace.”
Szalay-Bobrovniczky said at the second day of the conference held together with a defence industry expo in Budapest: “Everyone is talking about the war, yet peace is our greatest treasure.”
The conference was highlighting the importance of European defence capabilities, the minister said, adding that central Europe and the Western Balkans “must raise their voices in that very important question.”
Regarding the war in Ukraine, Szaly-Bobrovniczky said the conflict was constantly “carrying the threat of escalation”. The war, he said, was at a critical point: “the West has decided that the conflict should be globalised, and it has now reached all corners of the world”. The Russian aggressor’s army, meanwhile, has been boosted so that “we don’t know who could stop it”, the Hungarian defence minister said.
The only solution would be an immediate ceasefire and peace talks, he added.
The Hungarian defence minister said the conflict in Israel should be “watched carefully and handled responsively”, as it also threatens world trade.
Further, a lack of security, uncertainty and war are also at the root of terrorism and migration, he said.
Hungary can’t afford not to be strong, he said. While the country is a member of NATO, which is “the ultimate security guarantee”, it cannot rely exclusively on external help, he said. Hence the extremely robust military development plan, he added.
Meanwhile, Europe must do more for its own safety, he said. The EU’s enlargement would be the best way of boosting security at the Western Balkans, he added.
Slovak Defence minister Robert Kalinak agreed that European integration was key to peace and stability, and lamented that Western Balkans integration was lagging behind.
The EU promised integration to Western Balkans countries in 2003, but Croatia was the only one to become a member so far, he added, and welcomed that the topic was returning to the EU’s agenda.
Kalinak also said Hungarian-Slovak cooperation was the best yet, “and the key to that success is to concentrate only on topics we agree on.”
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Trump: Hungarians fight to save Western civilisation
Former US President Donald Trump praised Hungarians’ efforts to protect Western civilisation, freedom, the family and Judeo-Christian culture in a video message for the Conservative Political Action Conference Hungary (CPAC Hungary) in Budapest on Friday.
Trump: Proud to have worked with Orbán
“I am honoured to address so many patriots in Hungary who are proudly fighting on the frontlines of the battle to rescue Western civilisation. Together we are engaged in an epic struggle to liberate our nations from all the sinister forces who want to destroy them,” Trump said.
Trump said he had been “proud” to work with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as president, to protect the values and interests of Hungarians and Americans.
“We cracked down on illegal immigration, protected our borders, created jobs and defended our traditions and Judeo-Christian values,” he said.
He said he was looking forward to working with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán again, as the next US president.
“As long as we remain united in our vision, true to our principles, and fearless about defending our values, conservatives will win the battle to save our civilisation from the communists, marxists and fascists, and restore the reign of conservatism and common sense to the world,” Trump said.
Orbán, Morawiecki: Hungarians, Poles fighting together in Brussels
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki an old fellow soldier at a meeting in Orbán’s office in Budapest, the PM’s press chief said on Friday.
Bertalan Havasi cited Orbán as saying that Hungarians and Poles were fighting together in Brussels for sovereignty, for stopping migration, and for the protection of families and children.
The two nations will continue to stand for their values “that leftists want to eliminate”, and resist everything they want to force on them, Orbán and Morawiecki said.
Orbán discusses illegal migration with Vox leader
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met Santiago Abascal, the leader of Spain’s Vox party, in his office in Budapest on Friday, to discuss the fight against illegal migration, the PM’s press chief said.
The migration crisis posed serious threats to Spain and Hungary, and those countries should take “the firmest possible action”, Bertalan Havasi cited Orbán and Abascal as saying. Europe must be protected, and no one should be allowed to enter without permission, they said.
Abascal said that Spain’s leftist parties had recently awarded citizenship to migrants, which he called a very dangerous decision. Orbán said Hungary would never vote for such a step.
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Hungarian government hopes for a conservative turn in Europe and the US
The Hungarian government is hoping for a conservative turn in Europe and the US, Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC Hungary) in Budapest on Friday.
Hungarian government hopes for a conservative turn
“We trust that a conservative turn might come in Europe and in the US, and the next time we meet, our friends who currently represent opposition parties will attend in the position of government officials,” Gulyás told the event organised by the Center for Fundamental Rights.
He said the Hungarian government was a good example of the success of a conservative government. “We managed to win many elections over 14 years, we repeatedly earned the trust of citizens and have every right to hope that at the upcoming local council election and European Parliament election, we can once again prove that the majority of Hungarian voters support normality, common sense, a conservative government and ruling parties,” he added.
Knesset member Halevi: Sovereignty effective tool in fighting against terror
Amit Halevi, member of the Knesset, said at The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC Hungary) in Budapest that sovereignty was a useful and effective tool in fighting terrorism.
He told a round table discussion on Thursday that Israel and the world were facing an “unusual terrorist organisation”, one that has global aspirations and wants to rule the world. In order to fight against them successfully, it is necessary to understand who the enemy is, he added, stating that Israel’s problem was a problem for the whole western world and Israel was also fighting for “Budapest, Washington and London”.
Ohad Tal, another member of Knesset, said that for the first time in 76 years, Israel was under serious “existential” threat. After the 2023 Hamas attack, Israel has become vulnerable and “when someone in the Middle East is vulnerable, it is very dangerous”. For the first time in history Iran has launched a direct attack against Israel, he added.
Matthew Whitaker, who served as the acting United States Attorney General, said that considering that governments are elected by the citizens, they are the decision makers and lawmakers must carry out the will of the people. In a conversation with Zoltan Kovacs, the state secretary for international communication and relations, Whitaker also said that instead of waiting for politicians to solve all problems, the constitution needs to be amended in a way to better enforce the will of the people.
Nagy: EU competitiveness ‘could still be restored’
Márton Nagy, the economy minister, told the Conservative Action Conference (CPAC Hungary) now under way in Budapest that it is “not yet too late” to restore the competitiveness of the European Union, but warned that it required strategic thinking and “listening to the players of the economy”. He added that the subject would be high on the agenda of Hungary’s upcoming EU presidency.
While in 2010 Europe accounted for 22 percent of the global GDP, that ratio went down to 17 percent in 2023, the minister said, adding that it could further decrease to 15-16 percent in the near future. The number of European economies in the world’s largest 10 has gone down to 2 from 4 before and will further go down, to one, by 2070, he said, citing IMF and Goldman Sachs forecasts. The 100 largest companies in the world included 36 European businesses in 2010, a number that went down to 14 by this year and will further decrease to below 10 in the next few years, he said.
The EU faces many crises and “if the question is where we get the money from to restore competitiveness, the answer is nowhere,” Nagy said, adding that the cost of the digital and green transition could exceed 500 billion euros. In terms of top priorities, restoring competitiveness comes “right after the war in Ukraine and boosting the defence industry,” he said.
Similarly to several other countries, Hungary declines to support a fresh European Commission proposal to double or triple the 10-percent duty on Chinese electric car imports, the minister said. He said “such a protectionist measure would hinder competition, trigger deglobalisation and lead to the formation of blocs and trade wars instead of promoting connectivity”.
According to the Hungarian government, a transition to using electric cars should be accelerated, which requires a common EU strategy, Nagy said. “We believe that Europe’s competitiveness could be restored but not through ideologies or deadlines but through strategic thinking and involving market players,” he added.
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A beer city? Budapest overtakes Rome and Berlin in a fresh ranking!
A recent survey looked at European cities to rank the best beer destinations. For this summer, legendary beer cities such as Prague are recommended alongside Budapest. In fact, the Hungarian capital landed quite a prestigious place in the ranking.
Budapest in a prestigious place in a new ranking
According to Lelépő, anyone who thinks that only Germany, Belgium and the Czech Republic are famous for beer in Europe is making a big mistake. Referring to a recent survey, even Spain, Portugal and even Hungary produce some brilliant drinks, the Hungarian news portal writes.
Tour operator DFDS looked across the continent, ranking 70 European cities based on around 40,000 Google reviews. They came up with a ranking (which you can find HERE) based on the quality of the drinks, the pubs on offer and the prices.
In the ranking,
Budapest came 4th overall, tied with Thessaloniki and Valencia.
The best beer cities in Europe
1. Madrid
2. Prague
3. Vienna
4. Budapest, Thessaloniki, Valencia
7. Porto, Brussels
9. Berlin, Vilnius, Krakow
12. Seville
13. Amsterdam, Brno
15. Belgrade, Rome
17. Munich, Warsaw, Bratislava
20. Manchester
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Minister Navracsics: Hungary has a good reputation in EU cohesion policy
Tibor Navracsics, the minister of public administration and regional development, highlighted Hungary’s achievements in the area of the EU’s cohesion policy with results achieved in social policy and regional development programmes, after participating in the 9th Cohesion Forum held in Brussels on Friday.
Cohesion policy for Hungary includes the elimination of social disparities, social and regional development to allow “a catching-up of people, social groups or underdeveloped regions”, he said at a panel discussion.
He pointed out Hungary’s example “in the good use of EU funds”, saying that this is why Hungary “would like to have a say in to the formulation of the community’s cohesion policy in the future”.
“We have firm ideas about the future of cohesion policy, which in general fall in line with the stance of the of other central and southern European countries,” he said.
Navracsics said he had held informal talks on the forum’s sidelines with the head of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy, who will visit Hungary next week to review development project implemented with EU funds.
He also held talks with Elisa Ferreira, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms.
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