Europe

Hungary 10th in Europe on Digital Nomad Visa Index!

Fisherman's Bastion Budapest

Visaguide.world has published its Digital Nomad Visa Index ranking in which it ranked countries based on several factors to evaluate how good of a digital nomad destination a country is. Hungary has made it to the top ten in Europe and it’s in 18th place globally.

The Digital Nomad Visa Index is a comprehensive ranking system evaluating and ranking countries based on their suitability for digital nomads. This index considers various factors critical for remote workers who travel and live in different countries.

Best Countries for Digital Nomads

Spain is the top country for digital nomads, according to the VisaGuide Digital Nomad Index, with a score of 4.50. It is followed by Argentina in the 2nd place with a score of 3.72. Romania, United Arab Emirates and Croatia are ranked 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively to complete the top five list of the best countries for Digital Nomads.

Hungary on the list

Hungary takes 10th place in Europe (and 18th in the world) as a great digital nomad destination.

Countries were ranked based on several factors:

  • Internet Speed: Being able to work from anywhere, have online meetings, and stay connected with people around the world is possible because of a strong internet connection
  • Taxation: Taxes are key for digital nomads’ financial health. They prefer lower rates to boost their income.
  • Tax-free Policy: A country’s tax-free policy is vital for digital nomads. A longer tax-free period boosts their income benefits.
  • Income Required Amount: Minimum monthly income requirements are important for people seeking a digital nomad visa.
  • Cost of Living: Digital nomads benefit from a good quality of life when living costs are low, allowing them to manage effectively and reduce financial stress.
  • Health Care Infrastructure: A solid healthcare infrastructure is essential for digital nomads, ensuring access to medical services and peace of mind while they work
  • Tourism Popularity: Countries with high tourism are magnetic for digital nomads seeking adventure, cultural experiences, and a strong sense of community.

Key reasons why Hungary is a great destination for digital nomads:

  • Internet Speed – Fastest internet speed (245.97 Mbps)
  • Cost of Living – Low cost of living for digital nomads (627.3€ per month)
  • Taxes – Digital nomads don’t have to pay taxes for their first six months in Hungary giving them a financial edge

Complete Ranking List

Here is the detailed list of countries ranked according to their score in the Digital Nomad Visa Index:

The Unique Ranking System of the Digital Nomad Visa Index

The Digital Nomad Visa Index utilizes a unique scoring system to rank countries. Factors in this scoring system include:

  • Active Visa Availability.
  • Internet Speed.
  • Taxation Policies and Tax-Free Length.
  • Income Requirements for Visa Applications.
  • Cost of Living in Euros.
  • Global Health Score (GHS).
  • Tourism Popularity.

These factors combine to form a normalized score, highlighting the most suitable countries for digital nomads.

Methodology and Scoring

Calculation of the Score Before Normalization

The initial score of a country in the Digital Nomad index is calculated using the factors mentioned above.

This formula balances various factors, giving higher weight to aspects like internet speed, tax-free length, and tourism popularity, while also considering the cost of living and the availability of a digital nomad visa.

Normalization of the Score

The final score, called the ‘Digital Nomad Score,’ is derived by normalizing the initial score as follows:

Digital Nomad Score = Initial Score * 4.5 / Max(Initial Scores across all countries)

This normalization process ensures that the scores are comparable across countries and are scaled on a uniform metric.

Conclusion

The methodology of the Digital Nomad Visa Index is designed to provide an accurate and comprehensive overview of the best countries for digital nomads. By considering a range of factors from internet quality to healthcare, and by using a complex but transparent scoring system, the index serves as an essential tool for remote workers looking to find their next destination.

FM Szijjártó: Hungary among winners of new economic era in Europe

Electric cars being charged.

Hungary is among the winners of the transition to the electric car industry, and therefore of the new economic era in Europe, thanks to the government developing the best possible cooperation with market players, the foreign minister said on Monday.

Péter Szijjártó told an event announcing an investment by US company BorgWarner that as a result of the planned development worth HUF 25 billion (EUR 66 million), the company already employing more than a 1,000 people in Hungary will manufacture products suitable for hybrid and electric vehicles in Oroszlány, west of Budapest.

The state supports the project with HUF 5 billion, contributing to the creation of sixty new jobs, he added.

Szijjártó said that next to China and Germany, Hungary was the only country in the world where all three premium German car brands had production capacities. Additionally, five of the world’s ten largest battery makers have committed themselves to Hungary, he said.

Over the past ten years, the production value of the car industry in Hungary increased by 3.5-fold, represented by a combined growth of manufacturers and suppliers, he said.The production value of the industry broke a “brutal record” last year with HUF 12,000 billion, and an additional 18% increase was registered in the first nine months of this year, he added.

US investments play an important role in maintaining the growth of the Hungarian economy, he said. The affected companies represent the second largest investment community in Hungary, and the government has signed strategic cooperation agreements with 14 of them, he added,

Bilateral trade broke a record last year and 11% increase was registered in the first nine months of this year, showing that another record high can be expected in 2023, he said.

Read also:

Hungarian FM: Boosting C Asia in Europe’s interest

Szijjártó Baku

 One of the most important tasks of the coming years will be building safe transit routes between Asia and Europe, and that is impossible without central Asia, the foreign minister said in Baku on Thursday.

Speaking at the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA), Péter Szijjártó said the economic and security challenges Europe was facing due to wars and falling competitiveness “should have steered [the bloc] back to reason and common sense”. Instead, debates had become more politicised and ideological, threatening with steering European politics towards creating blocks in the world, he said.

He lamented that “risk avoidance” was gaining momentum in Europe, saying it aimed to decouple European and Chinese economies. Hungary’s government sees the cooperation between East and West as a great opportunity rather than danger, he added.

Severing ties with Russia had contributed to “the collapse of the growth model followed so far” in Europe. Similar actions with China would be equivalent to a “gut-punch” for the European economy, he said.

Central Europe believes in “civilised cooperation between East and West”, and central Asia can be an important bridge in that, he said. Hungary supports all moves boosting the region and cooperation there, he added.

Hungary emerged strengthened from the crises of the past years because its government had focused on creating jobs and supporting investments, and because it had become a meeting point of eastern and western investments, Szijjártó said.

China is Hungary’s primary source of imports, and its primary investment target in central Europe. Meanwhile, Europe’s car industries have become dependent on Chinese suppliers. China also overtook Europe as the second largest contributor to world GDP, he added.

“In view of that, what makes more sense: isolating ourselves from such a quickly growing economy or connecting with it?”

Hungary is ready to contribute to developing central Asian infrastructure, digitalisation and water management, he said.

Meanwhile, the region could become a “gold mine” regarding energy security, he said. Hungary is importing 10 percent of its crude oil demands from Kazakhstan, natural gas deliveries may also start shortly, and “there is great potential in green energy too,” he added.

“Strengthening central Europe and the cooperation between central Asian states is therefore a real European interest,” he said.

Buda Castle voted one of the most beautiful castles in Europe!

Buda Castle

Budapest’s emblematic building, the Buda Castle, has been ranked 9th on a list of landmarks made to celebrate Disney’s 100th birthday.

A symbol of the Hungarian capital, the Buda Castle, has been selected as one of the most beautiful castles in Europe, Sokszínű Vidék writes.

One of Europe’s best-known travel sites, Weloveholidays, has compiled a list of the continent’s most beautiful castles to celebrate Disney’s centenary. Then, they ranked them according to visitors’ ratings. The emblematic piece of Budapest came out on top:

The castle was ranked 9th on the list based on 225,000 Instagram posts and 4,420 five-star TripAdvisor reviews.

budapest buda castle
Buda Castle. Source: Pixabay

Since 1987, the building has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the Buda Castle District. The castle is one of the most important cultural and tourist sites of Hungary, and one of the most important monuments of the first district of the Hungarian capital.

Read also:

Orbán: Current battles with EU not helping Hungary’s development

orbán semjén potápi

As long as “there is an ethnic foundation”, policies built on ethnic foundations have a future in the Carpathian Basin, the prime minister told the Hungarian Permanent Conference (MÁÉRT) on Friday.

The elections in Slovakia in which the ethnic Hungarian party “failed to make it to parliament multiple times in a row” revived the question whether ethnically based politics had a future, especially considering declining demographics, Viktor Orbán said.

According to the Hungarian government, “preserving the ethnic foundations is our joint responsibility”, and as long as that exists, the politics based on ethnic groups also has a future, he said.

The situation of Transcarpathia Hungarians “is the hardest, most painful aspect of Hungarian life in the Carpathian Basin”, Orbán said. Hungary stands by Hungarians living in Ukraine, he said, and he lamented that “Ukraine still has time to harrass Hungarians amid a bloody patriotic war.”

Current battles with EU not helping Hungary’s development

Hungary today is having to fight battles with the European Union that do not help its development, Orbán said.

Orbán said he expected major disputes in the EU in the coming months, “the outcome of which will determine Hungary’s room for manoeuvre in the coming decades”.

One is whether the EU will pivot from unanimous decision-making to majority decisions, he said. That move would require an amendment of the EU treaties, which would be possible only with unanimous vote, he added. “That won’t happen as long as there is a single country against [majority voting].”

Hungary, Orbán said, saw unanimous voting as the “last guarantee for protecting national interests”, and so such a decision was “out of the question”.

“Hungary won’t have a parliament in the next 120 years that would vote for that, regardless of party affiliation,” he said.

Orbán: Cooperation among Hungarians solution to challenges of ‘world slipping apart’

orbán semjén potápi
Source: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd

The answer to the challenges of “a world slipping apart” lies in strengthening cooperation among Hungarians, Orbán said.

“Our answer to that slipping apart is unity,” Orbán said. In the coming years, the essence of Hungary’s strategy for Hungarian communities beyond the borders should be strengthening cooperation among Hungarians “as the world around us disintegrates and slips apart”, he said.

This year, Hungary was able to maintain programmes and institutions created to support Hungarians outside the country but had no capacity to expand them, Orbán said.

He said the country was expected to return to growth in 2024, and the resources for that expansion would again be at hand. The latest increase in the minimum wage show that “life is returning into the Hungarian economy, and we’ve managed to drag it out of recession”. This, the prime minister added, would give the opportunity to revive development schemes for Hungarians beyond the borders, too, he said.

Orbán: Europe squeezed out of new world power, economic structure

orbán semjén potápi
Source: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd

Europe has been squeezed out of a new global power and economic structure, and has been devalued as a result, Orbán said.

Orban said Europe’s opinion was now considered a “sidebar” rather than an important factor influencing outcomes.

“There are two suns in the sky, neither of them European,” he said.

The prime minister said that agreements were now being shaped by the US and China, with the latter “producing economic growth that is slowly but surely leaving that of the western world behind”.

“This is a crisis for us, a European crisis of confidence and self-evaluation; we’re not used to that,” he said. Europe will have to find answers “to what constitutes sensible behaviour” in such a situation, he added.

He said one “school of thought” promoted competition, trade and “trying to strengthen ourselves” as a solution, while the other suggested protectionism and isolationism, he said. The latter “is of the opinion that preserving what we’ve got is already an achievement.” He added that this debate was pervasive in every European Council summit and in every EU ministerial meeting, he added.

Orbán: Solely up to Hungarians to decide who stays in Hungary

It is solely up to Hungarians to decide who can and cannot reside in Hungary and on what terms, Orbán said, adding that immigration enforcement rules must be transparent and strict.

Orbán said whereas western European leaders thought that Muslim immigrants could be secularised in the same way that traditional European Christian communities had been, Muslims did not want to be secularised and felt at home with a different life philosophy, “which they see as superior to secularised European life”.

So chances of real integration were “extremely small”, he said.

Hungary, the prime minister said, must tighten its immigration rules as the relevant 2007 law had been introduced before the advent of “migration inflation”.

A transparent and enforceable system must be created, Orbán said, “otherwise Westerners will sweep us away”.

Read also:

End the year with a minibreak! Extremely cheap flights from Hungary to many wonderful cities

UK coronavirus reopen travelling to the UK

It’s fair to say that summer is the most popular time of the year for holidays and travel. However, there are plenty of cheap flights during the winter as well, as planes are not typically overbooked during this season. Budget airlines such as Wizz Air offer tickets for as low as EUR 10 to various destinations departing from Budapest.

London

If you’re particularly lucky, you can find tickets from Hungary to the British capital for a mere EUR 10 in December. However, in January, there are plenty of return tickets available for the modest price of EUR 20. It’s not every day that you can get your hands on such a sweet deal.

Dammam

Not a fan of winter? Perhaps the cold and gloominess dampen your spirits? Look no further – Dammam is the ideal destination. Bask in the sunshine and 30-degree warmth for just EUR 10. It’s almost incredible that you can get such a cheap ticket for such a lengthy journey. Sounds a bit too good to be true? Yes, we have to take into consideration the visa fee for Saudi Arabia, which might be a bit pricey. But at least you can use that visa for a year.

Madrid

Securing a good deal on a trip to Spain has always been a challenge. Even now, extensive searching is required to find something reasonably priced. Fortunately, between the 5th and 12th of December, return tickets are available for EUR 20. Who would say no to such an enticing price?

Rome

The romantically charged Rome is a highly popular destination. Many would like to immerse themselves into the culture, the gastronomy and the rich history of the Italian capital. While luck is a crucial factor, flights for just EUR 10 can be found in January and February. It’s always worth checking weekdays, as they tend to be less popular.

Stockholm

If exploring the myriad small islands of Stockholm and inhaling the crisp air of the Swedish capital has long been a desire, seize the opportunity! Numerous tickets are priced at just EUR 10 for both January and February. Thankfully, Wizz Air has extended its services to Stockholm Arlanda, making it quick and convenient to reach the city centre, as detailed HERE.

Flights from Debrecen

From Debrecen, there are numerous EUR 10 flights to destinations like Cyprus, Thessaloniki, Naples, Tirana, Podgorica and Milan. Even for more popular destinations, you can still catch some good bargains ranging between EUR 20 and EUR 40. This includes Madeira, Iceland, Dubai, Tenerife and the list goes on.

As we reported earlier, Wizz Air was forced to suspend nearly a quarter of its fleet, read more HERE.

Around the world in 80 days? Luxurious train ride to have multiple stops in Hungary

Orient Express train ride

Are you an adventure seeker ready for the next thrill? Or perhaps, Jules Verne’s masterpiece, Around the World in Eighty Days has been your favourite novel ever since you were a child? Now you have the chance to travel the world in 80 days in style, as long as your wallet can keep up with it. A brand-new luxurious train ride is set to launch next August, with multiple stops in our beloved country.

Venice Simplon Orient Express

We have reported HERE that the Venice Simplon Orient Express train (VSOE) enjoys sensational popularity. The Venice Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) is renowned for its opulence, comfort and scrumptious cuisine. Operating on diverse routes, including journeys from Paris to Budapest, Budapest to Paris, London to Budapest and Budapest to London, ticket prices range from EUR 5,133 and EUR 9,126, depending on your cabin preference.

Exploring the globe by train

TimeOut reports that a new luxury round-the-world train service is set to launch next August, offering a seamless itinerary to explore over 20 iconic cities across 13 countries in 80 days. According to Railbookers, the unique train ride provides an all-inclusive package, covering flights, train rides, an array of exciting programmes and delectable meals, with tickets starting at EUR 103,495. A pretty eye-watering sum.

From Vancouver to Budapest

Embark on a splendid trip from Vancouver to Budapest, following a scenic three-day journey on the Rocky Mountaineer. The next destination is the charming city of Edinburgh. Following a week of immersing yourself in the breathtaking landscapes, seize the opportunity to board the renowned Venice Simplon Orient Express, traversing from Paris to the captivating city of Venice. The Maharajas Express beckons next, whisking you away to culturally rich destinations such as Delhi and Mumbai. You can even visit the astonishing Taj Mahal on the way.

Experience the allure of the Golden Eagle Danube Express as it carries passengers from Istanbul to Hungary, weaving through Bulgaria and Romania, with an exciting stop at the rumoured birthplace of Dracula. You can read about the best Dracula of all time HERE. You will have the chance to travel through the Great Hungarian Plain and explore Kecskemét before reaching Lajosmizse, where a captivating ‘Puszta’ horse show awaits passengers. The final leg of this extraordinary journey concludes in the cherished capital, Budapest, offering visitors a luxurious overnight stay at the esteemed Four Seasons Hotel. For the comprehensive programme, find Railbookers’ detailed itinerary on their website.

 

Freedom of choice for families important principle in Hungary

Katalin Novák

Real freedom of choice for families is considered one of the most important fundamental principles in Hungary, President Katalin Novák said in Brussels late on Wednesday, arguing that not every decision could be applied to every family the same way.

Addressing an event on demographic issues organised by the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations and the Liszt Institute, Novák said the Hungarian state strived to give families freedom of choice, noting the challenge that was the fertility gap.

She said everything possible needed to be done to close the gap and help couples have as many children as they want. This, she added, could not mean interfering in people’s private lives.

Hungary spends 6 percent of its GDP on family support, Novák said, noting the PIT exemptions, preferential student loans and housing support offered to those with more children. She also mentioned the broad creche services, extended parental leave and allowances for grandparents providing childcare.

Hungary’s family policies have allowed the fertility rate to rise by nearly 30 percent, she said.

Novák said Europe would be making a mistake if it did not focus enough on its falling birth rates, adding that Europe’s population was only rising because of immigration.

Meanwhile, she said it was a flawed argument on young people’s part to say that one of the ways of fighting climate change was not having children.

She said there was no point in dealing with climate change without a future generation, adding that climate change and demographic challenges needed to be confronted at the same time.

Fidesz MEP: Link between illegal migration, terrorism ‘crystal clear’

Migration refugee camp EU migration pact

The link between illegal migration and terrorism is “crystal clear”, yet many in Brussels “continue to repeat the absurd claim that immigration is a good thing and we need it,” Balázs Hidvéghi, an MEP of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz, said in a European Parliament plenary debate on Wednesday.

“Europe is in a crisis, but Brussels is not capable of providing tangible solutions,” Hidvéghi said.

“Just look at what’s happening on the streets of western Europe,” he said. “Islamist terrorists are murdering innocent people, mass demonstrations are being organised in support of a terrorist organisation and there’s a level of anti-Semitic incitement not seen since the second world war.”

Concerning the war in Ukraine, Hidvéghi said that though many in the EU “support the continuation of the war without any criticism, Brussels’s Ukraine strategy has failed”. He said that more than a year and a half into the war, the conflict was no closer to ending, while hundreds of thousands were dying on the battlefield.

The MEP cited “the chaos around the EU budget, the unwarranted withholding of EU funds and the deceitful ideological attacks against conservative governments” as more examples of Brussels’s inability to find solutions.

“Instead of policies that weaken Europe, we need a leadership that puts the interests of Europeans first,” Hidvéghi said. “It’s time for change in Brussels.”

Fidesz MEP welcomes right-wing cooperation in European Parliament

eu european union hungary flag priority areas

The new Euro 7 emission standards would have “wrecked” Europe’s automotive industry, but right-wing cooperation in the European Parliament successfully pushed for a version to avoid that risk, an MEP of ruling Fidesz said in Brussels on Wednesday.

In the Euro 7 proposal, the European Commission and left-wing MEPs proposed regulations curbing greenhouse gas emissions to a degree that would have seriously harmed the industry, Edina Tóth told MTI on the sidelines of a plenary session of the EP that tabled the proposal.

Has the proposal been adopted in its original form, it would have led to factory closures, rising vehicle prices and a “wrecked car industry”, she said.

Thanks to the pushback from right-wing parties, an EP committee adopted an amended proposal. Under the new version, Euro 7 will be implemented from 2030 only. Cars and light-weight cargo vehicles will use the Euro 6 standards until then, she said.

The threshold and deadlines set in Euro 7 would have hobbled industrial development, she said.

The EP will vote on the proposal on Thursday.

Read also:

  • Read our report on the Hungarian democracy and its shortcomings HERE.
  • Hungarians struggle to make ends meet: we keep buying less, retail sales plummet

Report: Hungarian democracy in shambles

Hungarian democracy in shambles

Hungarian democracy is in shambles according to a new report made by the international IDEA organisation. The report they give out every year summarises the democratic standing of 173 countries of the world.

The global assessment of the democracies of the world summarises each years’ standing and developments. The report uses seventeen different metrics to help rank the democracies, writes Telex. The metrics include aspects such as the credibility of elections and equal access to legal institutions.

Democracy is in a worldwide recession

Until last year, the organisation published a master-list of democracies with all of the information. This year, they changed the structure and instead of one huge list, they published four smaller ones with different key aspects. These four smaller categories are representation, rights, rule of law and participation.

Rule of law and press freedom turned out to be the most common categories that declined.
Surprisingly enough, the Central European region showed an unexpected improvement in the rule of law department. This is interesting, because two of the most prominent states of this region – Hungary and Poland – notoriously get critiqued for rule of law concerns. Read more about democratic dilemmas HERE.

Hungary sliding down

Despite the improving Central European tendencies, Hungary is literally the last one on the list among the Member States. Hungary is the 64th on the rule of law list, six places lower than last year. The only category where Hungary isn’t the last one among Member States is the rights aspect. The Hungarian legal system is slowly deteriorating and not showing signs of getting any better, so we shouldn’t be very optimistic about this either. When compared to 2017, in 2022, Hungary dropped 18 places. Read more about Hungarian stance on democracy HERE.

On the bright side

However, the organisation observed improvement in 8 countries. For example, Romania stepped up a place making it only the third worst country in the European Union. Bulgaria moved up seven places, making it the 48th on the list.

None of them can touch Denmark, which is on the top in everything, except representation. Here, although there’s an improving tendency, the Swedes beat them to the first place.

Hungarian DefMin opens Adaptive Hussars 23 exercise

Hungarian Defence Forces

Hungary’s government sees the security of Hungarians and preserving peace as its priority, the defence minister said in Hódmezővásárhely on Tuesday, at the opening event of the Adaptive Hussars 23 international military exercise held in the presence of President Katalin Novák.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said Hungary was building a military capable of facing all security challenges in close cooperation with its allies.

In the current “era of dangers”, Europe faces war, illegal migration and the threat of terrorism, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said. The national security service has warned of the possibility of “trained soldiers of terrorist organisations, and with them the threat of terrorism, at the borders of Hungary,” he said.

At the same time, the Armed Forces and defence industry are thriving, with new factories, successful recruitment, and performance showing “the Armed Forces have reached a new level”, he said.

Adaptive Hussars 23, a complex international exercise with participants from Italy, Turkiye, Croatia and the US, is taking place in several parts of the country, involving much of the Armed Forces and public administration, he said. The exercise is about testing and developing the country’s defence capabilities, he said.

The initial phase involves some 1,000 troops, 340 of whom are foreign and 170 Hungarian.

Besides Hungarian and foreign military units deployed to Hungary, the exercise involves some 4,500 members of Hungarian public administration, he said.

Adaptive Hussars 23 is the largest exercise of the Hungarian Armed Forces this year, “a test of everything we have built and created so far. We will see where we stand and what and how we should bolster further,” he said.

The exercise will improve cooperation between various branches of public administration and soldiers, while public servants will have a better knowledge of how to help each other in joint tasks, he said.

In military life “we must always hope for the best but prepare for the worst. We must be ready to do what needs to be done for our family, our localities and the country…” Szalay-Bobrovniczky said.

Hungarian opposition calls for tightening Hungary’s anti-GMO stance

Hungary’s firm stance for GMO-free food products should be further tightened to guarantee food safety, opposition LMP said on Tuesday.

Antal Csárdi, LMP’s deputy group leader, told a press conference that the party is proposing that parliament adopts a declaration on the matter.

Csárdi said several parliamentary groups were divided, with Momentum and Jobbik-Conservatives not voting for an earlier proposal declaring Hungary’s opposition to the EU’s pro-GMO recommendation, which “would allow such produce to flood European markets … by eliminating member states’ right to weigh the decisions individually”.

Momentum’s party family in the EU, Renew Europe, “is neoliberal and extremely pro-market, and a vocal proponent of giving free rein to genetically modified produce”, he said.

LMP is proposing a declaration that would take a stance for a GMO-free Hungary “independent of party affiliations”, Csárdi said. The declaration would clearly oppose new GMO technologies, he said.

Hungarians have a right to know whether their elected representatives take a stance for a GMO-free Hungary, he said.

Meanwhile, the debate has gained new momentum in the EU as “chemical industry players and seed producers are planning to launch a new technology that would prevent consumers from knowing whether the food they buy is genetically modified,” he said.

Hungarian President: Demographic Roundtable aimed to increase population

The Demographic Roundtable has been formed to make Hungary “a country with a growing population out of a country whose population is shrinking”, President Katalin Novák said at the new body’s inaugural session in Budapest on Monday.

Novák, who is also the head of the roundtable, said Hungary had “made moved in such a positive direction demographically in the past 13 years that is almost unprecedented in the highly developed western countries.” “From the back rows, Hungary has come to the mid-field,” she said, adding that whereas “we have succeeded in making a pro-family turnaround we have not yet made a demographic one.”

She said the roundtable would work to achieve a demographic turnaround to “raise the willingness to procreate the highest in Europe … and to reverse an over four decade-long negative trend” of a decreasing population. “We may not be enough to do that, but I think we could start a movement, which, if supported by many, will achieve that turnaround…”

Problems of a shrinking population could be “logically” remedied by “importing the necessary labour, relying in immigration rather than on promoting childbirth,” the president said.

While many countries will opt for that approach, “we in Hungary do not see the solution in mass migration but in promoting childbirth,” she said.

Concerning the new body, Novák said the roundtable was not a government agency. Its members will make recommendations to the government and “encourage people to contribute to the dialogue,” she added.

The roundtable comprises representatives of the private and public spheres, as well as the scientific community, with Ágnes Hornung, state secretary in charge of health services, as its secretary.

The inaugural session was attended by the heads of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Hungarian Art Academy, the Central Statistical Office, the State Treasury, the National Media and Broadcasting Authority, the National Public Service University, the Heim Pal Paediatric Hospital, and other officials.

Government-close foundation: Europeans don’t want leaders to finance war

Ukraine war

Europeans expect their leaders to end the war in Ukraine, not to finance it, according to an EU-wide survey conducted by the Századvég Foundation.

The pollsters interviewed 30,000 randomly selected adults between 26 April and 22 June, Századvég told MTI on Thursday.

According to a recent proposal by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a new funding package of EUR 50 billion would be set up from member states’ contributions to support Ukraine in addition to the EUR 83 billion disbursed so far, which would cover Ukraine’s expenses until 2027.

“Under the strategy underlying the package, Ukraine must be supported until it defeats Russia. However, as is shown by the time horizon of the proposal, the idea would lead to a prolongation of the war and its reality is highly questionable,” Századvég said.

The results of the survey show that only one-fifth of European citizens agree with Brussels’s idea and 72% would choose the alternative of bringing the parties to the negotiating table and ending the war immediately.

The position calling for an immediate end to the war has an absolute majority in all member states except Estonia, and the ratio reaches two-thirds in 20 countries. The most pro-peace member states are Hungary with 89%, Greece with 87%, Malta with 86% and Cyprus and Slovenia, each with 85%.

Read also:

Shocking: Hungarian firms pay the highest energy prices in EU

Electricity Hungary

Hungary has the highest corporate energy prices out of all the Member States in Europe.

According to the report published by Eurostat, Hungarian energy prices are both the highest and the lowest in Europe. There is this great contrast in Hungarian energy prices. Household prices are way below the European average. Actually Hungary has the lowest energy price for average household consumers in all of Europe. However, corporate energy prices are the highest out of all of the Member States. So how did we get to the two edges of the statistics? How come Hungary became so polarised when it comes to energy prices?

Read more about Hungarian energy prices HERE.

The European energy market

According to Portfolio, if we look at the big picture, the European numbers actually seem to be stabilising in this regard. Energy prices skyrocketed when there was an inflation in natural gas prices. This increase in price was the result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Since natural gas is considered a marginal fuel, and the energy market is priced after marginal fuels, this meant that the price of natural gas affected the electricity market too.

Every country tries to alleviate the pressure this change put on their consumers. There are lots of tactics to choose from, like governmental allowances, subsidiaries or even reducing taxes or levies. This makes the situation much more affordable for household consumers regarding both gas and electricity prices.

What about corporate consumers?

Hungarian corporate gas prices are sky-high. There are multiple components that contributed to these exorbitant prices: mainly, the gas contracts signed last autumn at high prices. Another factor is the increased Robin Hood tax, the higher energy trader bids made more expensive by financing challenges arising from the reduction of overheads. In addition, the emergency supply (which the government required them to do, so they fell out of the protected zone) meant higher gas prices for the smaller corporate gas consumers, while market gas prices fell.

Read more about alternative energy resources HERE.

PM Orbán: Support for migration equals support for terrorism

Viktor Orbán

Hungary is opposed to terrorism, so it is also opposed to migration, the prime minister said in Brussels on Thursday.

“Those who support migration also support terrorism,” Viktor Orbán said ahead of a two-day European Union summit.

Orbán said he hoped decision-makers in Brussels would also “realise that there is an clear connection between terrorist acts and migration”.

The EU, he said, wanted member states to give more money for migration-related policy and to Ukraine, but Hungary refused to give money to migrants. Neither would it give money to Ukraine unless the request was well-founded, he said, adding that the current proposals lacked professional or political supporting arguments.

“It won’t work giving more money; we will refuse this,” he said.

Asked about the war in Ukraine, Orbán said Hungary had a peace plan and would keep all communication channels open with Russia in hope that it would be accepted.

Hungary, he added, was the only country that stood for peace, which was “in the interest of all Europeans”.

Regarding Israel’s war against Hamas, the prime minister said Hungary supported Israel’s right to self-defence as well as actions aimed at making sure a terrorist attack similar to the one committed on Oct 7 by Hamas “never happens again”. Also, humanitarian aid must get to where it is needed, he added.

Israel and Egypt, Orbán noted, are located in the Mediterranean region, and if either became unstable Europe would be on the receiving end of waves of migration. To avoid this, Israel and Egypt must be stabilised, since the region’s stability was in Europeans’ interests, he said.

Orbán responded to a question about Georgia, saying that hopefully the EU summit would adopt a final communique in support of granting the country candidate status.

Hungarian FM calls for end to war at Minsk conference

Foreign minister Szijjártó

An immediate ceasefire and peace talks are needed in Ukraine, as the number of victims and destruction will only grow as the war continues, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, told a security conference in Minsk on Thursday.

Speaking at a high-level international conference entitled Eurasian security: reality and prospects in a transforming world, Szijjártó said Europe and Hungary had already paid a high price for a war they were not responsible for. Hungarians want peace as soon as possible and don’t agree with those saying that the conditions for peace would improve over time, he said, adding that the solution to the war was at the negotiating table, not on the battlefield. Channels of communication must be kept open, “lest we should give up hope for peace,” he added.

Szijjártó said his faith in peace had prompted him to accept the invitation to the conference, “risking, of course, condemnation from certain parts of Europe for the decision,” he said.

In his speech following Sergei Aleinik and Sergei Lavrov, his Belorusian and Russian counterparts, respectively, Szijjártó said that in order to find solutions to Europe’s challenges and to avoid the deterioration of its situation, the war in Ukraine must be ended through a ceasefire and peace talks.

Further, “civilised dialogue” must be restored between the East and the West, and political discourse must return to dialogue based on mutual respect and common sense rather than “debates based on ideology and politics”, he said.

He said the model of European economic growth, based on a combination of cutting-edge western technology and relatively cheap eastern energy, had collapsed. Consequently, natural gas cost four times as much in Europe as in the US and electricity three times as much as in China.

Europe had also made pragmatic issues such as energy supplies a hostage of political and ideological discussions, he said.

While some called for decoupling the European and Chinese economy, Hungary achieved success by becoming a meeting point of interdependent economic players, he said.

The wars in Ukraine and Israel have plunged global security into its worst state since the end of the cold war, he said. Meanwhile, the EU is also struggling with a dramatic fall in competitiveness, as China has grown to have the second largest annual GDP worldwide, he said. As Europe’s share of the world GDP has fallen to 17 percent today from 22 percent in 2010, China’s grew from 9 percent to 18 percent, he said.

Hungary has a vested interest in a safe and strong Europe. “For that, we need peace and connectivity,” Szijjártó said.