France

French government may follow Viktor Orbán’s policy in the future

PM Viktor Orbán

In Hungary, one of the main tools on the road to a work-based society since 2010 has been the reduction of unemployment benefits: the “work instead of aid” policy. According to a leaked draft, the French are preparing a similar move. It has sparked a huge outcry from interest groups.

One of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s main policy objectives, the principle of “work instead of aid”, may also be gaining ground in France, according to a leaked French government draft that has sparked a huge outcry among labour representatives, napi.hu reports.

Under the plan, the French government would reduce or increase the duration of unemployment benefits in proportion to employment, Euractiv reported. The measures are aimed at encouraging French people to work. In France, unemployed people under the age of 53 currently receive benefits for up to 24 months.

Under the new draft,

  • if the unemployment rate falls below 9 percent, the duration of the benefit would be reduced to a maximum of 18 months.
  • if unemployment were to fall below 6 percent, benefits would be paid for only 9 months.

Another important tightening of the reform is that benefits would not be paid in the following cases:

  • if workers leave their jobs before serving their notice period,
  • or refuse to renew a fixed-term contract twice in one year.

According to employers’ associations, more than 90 percent of French SMEs face labour shortages. According to employers’ associations, small firms are not only unable to find good workers, but are almost unable to recruit new staff. French unemployment is among the highest in Europe, significantly higher than in Hungary or the Netherlands. In the third quarter of this year, the rate was around 7 percent, above the EU and eurozone averages.

Employment is also lower than the EU average, with some room for improvement, especially among the older working-age population. By comparison, the unemployment rate was 3.6 percent in Hungary and 3 percent in Poland and Germany in October, according to Eurostat. The best performer is the Czech Republic, with a jobless rate of 2.1 percent.

The unions reject the proposal to cut benefits. They say this is not the right incentive and that the unemployed are being made scapegoats by the government. One of the biggest left-wing unions, the CGT, also pointed out that although wages rose in nominal terms at the beginning of the year, the real value of French salaries had fallen by more than two percent due to high inflation.

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French national stabbed to death in Budapest – court trial started

Real estate fraud-crime-police

The trial of a US-British-Hungarian citizen charged with stabbing a French national to death in February 2020 in Budapest got under way in the Metropolitan Court on Tuesday, the court said.

According to the charges, the defendant arrived in Budapest in December 2019, and on the night of February 7, 2020, he drank a large amount of alcohol at several pubs in Budapest. In the small hours of Feb. 8, he ran up to a 25-year-old Frenchman walking on the pavement near Karolyi Gardens in central Budapest, punched him in the face twice and stabbed him in the chest with a knife. He then ran away. The victim died on the spot.

The 28-year-old defendant has been charged with homicide.

The court said earlier that the man had a clean criminal record but based on the nature of his act including ad hoc violence it can be suspected that he had a mental disorder. He said earlier that he suffered from bipolar disorder and was treated for alcoholism in the United States.

The trial is set to continue on March 1 next year with expert testimonies from psychiatrists, the court said in a statement.

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Hungarian President in France: Hungary fights to restore peace in Ukraine

“We are fighting with all our might to restore peace” in Ukraine, the Hungarian president told the 5th Paris Peace Forum on Friday. “What we need is a strong and successful Europe,” President Katalin Novák said after talks with Gerard Larchet, president of the French Senate, in Paris on Friday.

Held ahead of the International Peace Forum, the bilateral talks focused on topical challenges, Novák said on Facebook. After their talks, Novák and Larchet issued a joint statement, Novák’s office told MTI. The meeting provided an opportunity to review topical EU related and bilateral issues, the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the impacts of the war, the office said in a statement.

Novák expressed hope that the two countries would in future deepen their relations in the spirit of pragmatism. Larchet highlighted Hungary’s “unique mission” within the European Union and the importance of relations between the two countries. Novák also held talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, whom she referred to as “an old friend, a strategic partner”, and said she was looking forward to “welcoming Serbia as a European Union member”.

Hungarian president Novák in Paris
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Hungary’s president urged restoration of peace in Ukraine, at Paris forum

“We are fighting with all our might to restore peace” in Ukraine, the Hungarian president told the 5th Paris Peace Forum on Friday.
In her address, Katalin Novák noted that Hungary had firmly condemned Russia’s attacking Ukraine since the outbreak of the war, and that position had not changed.

Evaluating the situation, Novák said a prolonged conflict led to “more destruction, suffering, and an escalation of the war”. She said a “real intention” for ceasefire was lacking, with “the parties refusing to realise that fighting will not take them closer to peace”. She regretted there was “no sufficient and firm intent to mediate between the parties” while “disinformation hinders agreement and causes serious damage”. She said deliberate provocations were delaying a solution, and “Russian President Putin is talking about territorial claims laid by European states in an effort to create confrontation between countries”.

Novák warned of an impending nuclear threat,

adding that threats of compromising energy and food supplies were “dishonest”. Novák also regretted that there was no common “strategic thinking” and added that inciting ethnic tension and attacks against ethnic minorities were “but deepening wounds and hindering understanding”.

“We must do everything in the interest of the next generations to end this conflict and restore peace,” the Hungarian president said.

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PHOTOS: Hungarian president accepted Macron’s invitation to Paris but she visited somebody else first

Hungarian president Novák in Paris

“We must find a common language that can lead us to a just peace as soon as possible,” President Katalin Novák said on Facebook after meeting former French president Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Thursday.

This was the reason, Novák said in an English-language post, she had accepted French President Emmanuel Macron’s invitation to the international Peace Forum in Paris. The president said she started the day by visiting “Hungary’s long-standing friend”, Sarkozy, whom she called a representative of the “grand generation”. She noted that the former president had been a “prominent shaper of French and European public life for a long time”.

Novák said her discussion with Sarkozy had centred on “how much Europe and the world needs Hungary acting as a bridge”. “We Hungarians are not only geographically located at the meeting point of East and West, North and South, but also understand the various nations and people, and are able to mediate between them,” Novák wrote. Novák said held a lecture on Hungary’s family policy and demographic challenges at the Institut de Philosophie Comparee in Paris later on Thursday.

katalin novák president usa roller skates school
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The president noted that fertility rates are below 2 in all European countries, the ratio necessary to maintain the population. “The fact that Europe’s population is growing is not a natural process but a result of immigration,” she siad.

Hungary’s population has been declining for four decades, Novák said. Therefore, family policy has been strong in the past 10-12 years, with the government focusing on narrowing the gap between the number of children couples strive to raise and the number they end up having. Hungary spends 6.2 percent of its annual GDP on family support in various forms such as the home purchase subsidy (CSOK), and forgiving university fees after the third child, she said.

Referring to the war in Ukraine, Novák said that over 200 Hungarians have died in the war so far. The situation is “extremely fragile”, and escalation should be avoided at all costs, she said.

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Government signed strategic cooperation agreement with French giant

Strategic partnership Szijjártó Alstom

The government has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with French engineering giant Alstom, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said on Friday.

At the signing ceremony in Budapest, Péter Szijjártó said Alstom could help to make Hungary “a local exception” in the face of impending recession in Europe. Investor confidence and securing further international investment projects is key to maintaining economic growth amid the current economic crisis, the foreign ministry quoted Szijjártó as saying.

Alstom is a global market leader in train manufacturing, he said, noting that its plant in Matranovak, in northern Hungary, is an important hub employing 650 people. Alstom is committed to expanding its activities and creating further jobs in Hungary, he added. Szijjártó noted that Alstom built the world’s first hydrogen-powered train. Hydrogen, he added, would be a key component of energy security in the future, and offered further opportunities for cooperation.

“Ensuring jobs for Hungarians and a predictable path to the future is a top priority for government economic policymaking in the current, extremely difficult situation,” the minister said.

ryanair wizz air
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PHOTOS: Wizz Air left around 150 Hungarian football fans in France

Fradi football fans Wizz Air France

Fradi, the reigning champion and one of the most prestigious Hungarian football clubs, played the second matchday of the Europa League group stage against AS Monaco on Thursday evening. Of course, many fans travelled there with their club, and their effort was not in vain. Fradi defeated the home team 0 to 1. But many fans could not travel home because of the Hungarian budget airline Wizz Air. Below, you may read the details.

Football fans in panic

At least one hundred Hungarian fans were stuck in Monaco, one of the world’s most expensive places after their flight was cancelled. The reason is the nationwide strike of airport employees in France. Interestingly, today even the railway workers joined the strike.

A fan talking to csakfoci.hu, a Hungarian football news website, said that his family called him during halftime telling him their flight was cancelled due to the strike. There were two kinds of supporters in the match: the “B-centre” had the radicals while other fans occupied seats in various parts of the stadium. Panic started among the radicals in the heat of the match. They feared they would not be able to get home, so they started to communicate on Facebook, helping each other with information, and travel options.

Here are some photos of the Fradi football fans in Monaco marching on the match day to the stadium:

 

Wizz Air did not provide proper help

Based on his estimate, around 100-150 fans could not fly back to Hungary that night with their Wizz Air plane.

“We came out with the Wednesday flight of Wizz Air together with many Fradi supporters. Originally, we would have travelled back on Friday, but the airline offered a ticket only for Monday, and we would have to pay for our accommodation”, he said. The situation was chaotic, everybody wanted to get home that night, but they could only book tickets for 1,000-1,400 EUR per person. Fradi fans were happy they won and tried to help those stuck in Monaco, the victim added.

Fradi football fans Wizz Air
Fradi football fans in Budapest. Photo: Instagram/GroupamaArena

He said some travelled to Genova by train and then continued their journey to Bologna to watch the home team’s Saturday Serie A match. Afterwards, they will travel to Rome, heading back to Budapest from the Italian capital.

However, most people did not calculate the chaos and did not prepare to remain in Monaco, so they are without proper accommodation. That is partly because prices in Monaco are much higher than in Hungary.

Featured image: illustration

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Wizz Air passengers wanted to get to Budapest but were left in Paris – again

Wizz Air

Once again, Wizz Air left its passengers in Paris. The passengers of the scheduled flight to Budapest at 9:30 p.m. received an e-mail at 9:36 p.m. that their plane would not depart for home until the next day at 12:40 p.m. 

158 people were waiting at the airport at night

The passengers of the Wizz Air flight Paris (ORY) – Budapest (BUD) W6 2368 received an email notification at 9:36 p.m. that their flight, scheduled to depart at 9:30 p.m., would only depart for home at 12:40 p.m. the next day. – reported spabook. 158 people had to wait at the airport in Paris at night. However, this is not the first time Wizz Air has caused inconvenience to its passengers. Last time, people were left stranded at Orly Airport because the flight from Paris to Budapest was cancelled. In addition, passengers could neither rebook nor cancel the flight.

Lack of information from Wizz Air?

After having received the email notification about the cancellation, passengers were asked to tell how many people they were requesting accommodation for. However, one of the passengers thought the email was incomplete. He and his family did not receive information about the flight cancellation. On the other hand, some passengers did receive an email notification stating that the plane was delayed.

Wizz Air plane
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Passengers expect compensation

Although Wizz Air called the more than 15-hour difference in departure a delay, according to EU rules, this entitles the passengers to compensation equivalent to a cancellation. Spabook obtained the letter, which reveals that Wizz Air informed passengers about their rights in a fair but tricky manner. “If the flight is delayed on arrival for more than 3 hours, the passenger is entitled to compensation according to the regulation (unless the delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided despite all reasonable measures).” – writes Wizz Air in the email. However, in such a case, people get compensation in the amount of EUR 250 per person. However, it does not say how to claim this compensation from the airline.

The bus arrived for passengers at 01:44

As Blikk writes, at 01:44 at night, a bus arrived for some of those waiting at the airport. However, it was not revealed whether the airport or the airline organised the pickup. Meanwhile, some of the passengers created a messenger group where they could share important information. At 02:04, a rumor began to spread according to which the plane could not arrive due to a storm. 45 people left by bus and probably found accommodation, but another 158 people were still left waiting at the airport.

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Survey: Hungarians more optimistic about future than French, Italians

Hungarians are optimistic about future happy

Family and children are valued above all else by Hungarians, the French, Germans, Italians and the British, and children are seen as the key to solving demographic problems, according to a survey carried out by Mathias Corvinus Collegium’s (MCC) Youth Research Institute in February-March.

The telephone survey of a thousand people from each country showed that family is what is valued the most, MCC told MTI on Tuesday.

In the western European countries surveyed friends, free time, work, the nation, and religion and politics were considered important, whereas Hungarians valued work, religion and nation above all else, the survey found. Hungarians also wanted churches to play a greater role in society, according to the survey.

Also prized in the countries surveyed was inculcating a sense of responsibility, tolerance and good manners in the next generation, while passing on religious faith was seen as the least important prerogative.

Hungarians regard their own situation in relation to the previous generation as being easier compared with other nationalities, while the French were at the other end of the spectrum on this score.

As for future prospects, Italians and French were the gloomiest, while Hungarians had the sunniest outlook.

Meanwhile, Hungarians of different political views, religions and financial status enjoyed the easiest dialogue between them compared with the other nationalities surveyed.

Hungarians prefer gradual reforms in society compared with Italians and French, who are more open to radical changes, the survey found.

The solution to poverty in all countries was seen as job creation rather than benefits, and having children was seen as the solution to demographic problems rather than immigration.

#hungary #happiness #longlife
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Hungarian patissier featured in prestigious French magazine – PHOTOS

jd_desserts5

Hungarian patissier Dávid Jakabfi’s latest recipe has received one of the most outstanding international acknowledgements. The French magazine Le journal du pâtissier dedicated a special chapter to the young patissier’s special Mother’s Day dessert in rose, raspberry and lychee flavours.

The talented young Hungarian patissier, Dávid Jakabfi, has already won numerous international awards for his special desserts. Therefore, it is not surprising that he has become one of the most prominent figures in the art of confectionery throughout Europe. The talented confectioner began his career with big dreams some years ago. During this time, he encountered many difficulties, but his perseverance and diligence have paid off. Since then, Dávid has developed his special fine dining desserts and macaron-making skills to the very top.

Photo: www.facebook.com/JD-Desszertmuhely

His latest dessert, Lychy Pink is inspired by Mother’s Day and has received one of the most prestigious acknowledgement in Europe. The French magazine Le journal du pâtissier dedicated a saparate chapter to the young pastry chef’s special. Dessert Lychy Pink is a creative fine dining dessert with rose, raspberry and lychee flavours. Thanks to the prestigious acknowledgement, Dávid believes that professionally he has reached at the top now.

Photo: www.facebook.com/JD-Desszertmuhely

“Obviously there is always room for improvement, but for me this is a huge confirmation that I’m on the right track. This magazine is very selective about the type and quality of desserts it presents. I have already been congratulated on the recipe and the presentation by several internationally renowned colleagues,” said Dávid. The young talent, who has also written two books on the art of confectionary – is very happy that his work is contributed to the gastronomic development of Hungary.

As the Hungarian new portal Turizmus reports, Le journal du pâtissier has been striking a balance between tradition and innovation since 1978. For more than 40 years, the magazine has been a tool for quality pastry chefs.

Read also: Ice cream recipes inspired by classic Hungarian desserts!

Hungarian Confectioners’ Association can be proud of two Hungarian desserts this week. In addition to Dessert Lychy Pink, we should also mention the winner of this year’s Cake of Hungary, called “Prince of Wild Plums”. The winning dessert is a creation of Vanília & Gelarto from Nagykőrös, called “Prince of Wild Plums”, created by Orsolya Karikó. As the Hungarian news portal Ízesélet reports, the main element of the case is Hungarian plums, combined with other great ingredients and the red wines of Eger.

Photo: www.facebook.com/trofeacukraszda/

In the category of sugar-free cakes, “Grandma’s Favourite” has been chosen as the best dessert this year. The cake specialty without added sugar is a silky harmony of tart raspberry jam, white chocolate pistachios, mascarpone and some hibiscus flowers and rose hips. This is the second time that the Szeged pastry chef, László Gyuris has won with his dessert creation, after his “Little Chestnut” took first place in 2019.

Photo: www.facebook.com/trofeacukraszda/

The cakes can be tasted from 19 August in the Street of Hungarian Flavours, in the Várkert Bazaar and in hundreds of confectioners’ shops throughout the country.

budapest ice cream confectionery
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Wizz Air and Air France: new planes and winter flights

Wizz Air crew Hungarian airline

Air France has announced its winter 2022 timetable, and Wizz Air will fly to Madeira during the cold months.

Air France plans 2-3 daily flights to Budapest in winter

From the end of October, the airline will operate more flights to Lapland than in the previous year, and the connection between Pointe-à-Pitre and Montreal will be available again, reports airportal.hu.

According to the company, there will be no significant change in the number of Air France flights between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Budapest Liszt Ferenc airports, with Airbus A320 aircrafts flying 2-3 times daily between the two capitals.

Air France will also keep its Helsinki service, which was launched in summer 2021, and will continue to offer connections to Copenhagen, Billund, Oslo, Bergen, Stockholm and Gothenburg in the region, with a transfer in Paris.

Wizz Air will fly to Madeira in winter

From 30 October, Wizz Air will offer two flights a week on its winter schedule between Budapest and Madeira. According to the airline’s statement that was sent to airportal.hu, the flights will depart from Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport to Madeira every Tuesday and Sunday from 30 October. Fares start from HUF 27 990 (EUR 69.2).

Wizz Air will not delay the delivery of their new aircrafts

Wizz Air, which closed the last quarter with a significant loss, expects a massive profit in the summer months, although operational difficulties have forced it to cut back its summer capacity. The situation is now returning to normal and the company is maintaining its fleet development plans, according to airportal.hu.

The airline will not postpone the delivery of any of its new aircraft, although possible disruptions due to supply chain problems are expected, with only a few months of delays, according to the airline’s report for its first financial quarter (April-June 2022).

Wizz Air expects to take delivery of a further 36 A321neo aircraft for the remainder of its financial year (until the end of March 2023), while 11 older A320s will leave the fleet, with four A320s stuck in Ukraine still to be released from the war-torn country.

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What do Hungarian expats miss the most about home?

What do Hungarian expats miss the most about home?

Leaving the familiar behind and building a new life in a foreign country – either by yourself or with a family – can be both an enchanting idea and a stressful process. We have asked five of our readers, Hungarian expats, what they miss the most, apart from their loved ones of course, while living abroad.

Kata – Greece

“I could go on and on about the things I miss from Hungary. Once, I have even compiled a list of 43 reasons why Hungary beats Greece a hundred times in my blog. Here are some of them.. Firstly, the clean and well-kept pedestrian roads, which are basically non-existent in Athens. One can easily sprain an ankle or break a bone while trying to bypass a giant gap or a tree erecting out of the concrete in the middle of the road. Secondly, the instant hot water and the gas heating system – we have to switch on the boiler half an hour before taking a shower in Athens. Winters in Greece feel like an expedition to the North Pole. In Hungary, there is proper heating all day around while oil radiators operate only for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening here. Apart from these, I miss the four seasons, Hungarian architecture, and cosmetic stores such as Muller or Rossmann.”

Orsolya – United Kingdom 

“Food – definitely the food! Even though, there is an abundance of places with international flavours here it still does not stop me from craving those delicious and heavy Hungarian dishes – chicken paprikash with homemade noodles, my mum’s goulash soup, lángos with sour cream topping at Lake Velencei. I’ve tried to make some of them for my husband, but the ingredients just do not taste the same – probably due to the lack of sun. Also two things, I just can not track down are túró (cottage cheese or curd cheese) and tejföl (sour cream). Some days I am dreaming about a huge plate of cottage cheese dumplings or crepe filled with cottage cheese. Another aspect of living in the UK that I can not get used to is the weather. I miss warm summers and those balmy evenings when you can be out all night wearing just a pair of shorts, flip-flops and a light top. I wish I could just stuff my leather jacket at the bottom of my wardrobe.”

What do Hungarian expats miss the most about home? cottage cheese crepe
Source: canva.com

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Zsuzsanna – South of France

“I can list a bunch of things that do not exist in France but I wish they did. First of all, as a new mum, I miss Hungary’s well-designed family support scheme. There is no other country in the EU that allows mothers to stay at home with their toddlers for 2 years after giving birth. Besides that, I also miss the organised transportation system back at home. Here in Nice, the time schedule of the buses is just a myth, no vehicle comes on time. Another thing I miss is the rich variety of cultural programs in Budapest, whether it’s art, music, sport or concerts. Unless you live in a big city in France, which is not the case for me, you are kind of deprived of that. At home, there is always some interesting event to look forward to, regardless of the season. In the South of France, once the tourist season is over, there is not much to do other than dining in some fancy spot or visiting the nearby village for the 100th time.”

Réka – Netherlands

“Well, apart from friends and family.. I don’t really miss much. Perhaps, some services such as hair salon or manicurist. They cost way more in Eindhoven than in my town in Hungary and you do not get the same quality of service either. I also miss Lake Balaton sometimes but mostly because of my memories from childhood. Where I really experience a striking difference though is the healthcare system. Although I cannot say anything good about Hungarian healthcare, it is a reassuring thought that whenever I have some issues I can get an appointment within one week at a private clinic in Hungary, unlike in the Netherlands where it takes quite some time. Also, if you are lucky you pay 50 euros at most, and you can explain to the doctor what is the matter exactly in your own language. They already know your medical history while a Dutch doctor only makes a wild guess and may send you to the wrong department. The professional knowledge of Hungarian doctors is exceptional in the whole of Europe.”

Bálint – Sweden 

“Sweden was an alluring destination for me and my family to relocate to 15 years ago for its high standards of living and many job opportunities. Even though we are blessed with stunning landscapes and modern cities, what I really miss from Hungary are the thermal baths. Of course, we have the sauna culture here, but visiting a thermal spa in Budapest is a completely different experience. People are friendlier than the Swedish, and it is easier to strike up a conversation. We also miss real good authentic Hungarian flavours, especially when it comes to pastries. Luckily, a few years ago, a Hungarian supermarket opened in our town so we do not have to ask our relatives anymore to send us parcels from Hungary, filled with products that are hard to find here.”

What do Hungarian expats miss the most about home? Szechenyi Bath
Source: canva.com

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Man charged with killing French national in Budapest

murder horror stabbing Hungary

The Budapest Public Prosecutor’s Office has charged a man with US-British-Hungarian citizenship with stabbing a French national in February 2020 in Budapest.

According to the charges, the accused arrived in Budapest in December 2019, and on the night of February 7, 2020, he drank a large amount of alcohol in several pubs in Budapest.

In the small hours of Feb. 8, the accused ran up to a 25-year-old Frenchman walking on the pavement near Károlyi Gardens in central Budapest, hit him in the face twice, and stabbed him in the chest with a knife that he had on his person. The victim died on the spot.

The 28-year-old accused was charged with homicide.

As we wrote earlier: Canadian swimmer drugged in Budapest? Some say she was just badly drunk

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Wizz Air explained why they left passengers in France & UK without help

wizz air hungarian airline plane

Wizz Air passengers wrote to Hungarian media outlets that they were left without proper help by the low-cost airline in Paris and London. People argued that Wizz Air did not acknowledge first that their flight was cancelled. Later they admitted that but offered no help for their passengers, who had to find accommodation, food, and drink in the French and British capital and rebook their flight. Some of them did not even speak the language. Here is Wizz Air’s explanation.

What happened?

As we reported yesterday, the Hungary-based low-cost airline, Wizz Air, left several passengers at the Paris-Orly airport without proper assistance. One of the victims wrote her story to Blikk. Orsolya stated that the most unpleasant thing was not the cancellation itself. It was the fact that she could neither rebook nor cancel the flight because she had already checked in, as Wizz Air only sent information messages about delays in the beginning.

Orsolya said that the company did not help them find accommodation for the night after it was clear their flight would not take off. Last weekend, a very similar case occurred. Wizz Air cancelled a flight commuting between London and Budapest but, allegedly, provided no proper help for the passengers.

The Hungarian low-cost airline sent a statement on the issue to Blikk, a Hungarian tabloid. In short, the company said

their delays were caused by the labour shortage the air traffic control struggled.

They added that they would refund their passengers and launch an investigation into yesterday’s Paris-Orly case.

Wizz Air’s explanation – labour shortage

They highlighted that they did everything to provide punctual service for their passengers. However, labour shortage hits hard not only the air traffic control but also the airports, the ground, baggage handling and security services. As a result, there are delays, which, due to the strict air safety rules, result in flight cancellations.

In the case of the Paris-Orly cancellation, that is what happened. Because of the air traffic control labour shortage, their flights suffered delays, and their colleagues could not fly back to Budapest before the airport’s closure. The statement clears that they notified their passengers via SMS and email about the delay.

They added that they have a partner company taking care of the people in case of cancellations. Wizz Air promised they would launch an investigation in the Paris-Orly case. If they found problems, they would act accordingly.

They offered alternative flights, refunding the ticket cost or crediting 120% of it on the passenger’s Wizz account. They added that they would try to process all requests in one week. Furthermore, passengers have the right to demand compensation on the company’s website, wizzair.com.

Systematic problem

Blikk says that the problem is more extended than just cancelling individual flights. EasyJet, for example, cancelled hundreds in May because of an IT problem. Lufthansa announced that they would do so with more than 2,000 flights because of the labour shortage at the Frankfurt and München airports. Thus, the problem is systematic.

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Swiss journal: EU despairs over Orbán’s pro-Russia actions

PM Orbán

According to the Swiss journal, the Hungarian Prime Minister wants to take revenge with his actions for being publicly embarrassed by the French President in the debate over the sixth package of EU sanctions against Russia.

The opinion article of Neue Zürcher Zeitung reports that Viktor Orbán’s government is blocking the introduction of a minimum corporate tax, opposing sanctions against Russia and blocking criticism of China. According to the Swiss newspaper, the Hungarian Prime Minister is going too far with his actions and his closeness to Putin is incomprehensible which creates a dispair in the European Union.

Emmanuel Macron and Viktor Orbán have never been particularly good friends. With Orbán’s rejection to implement the tax reform that France had pushed for at the EU level, relations between the two are likely to be more distant.

Read also: Orbán cabinet called on the EU to stop penalising member states

According to the opinion article in the Swiss journal, the Hungarian Prime Minister wanted revenge for being publicly embarrassed by the French President in the debate over the sixth package of EU sanctions against Russia.

Last Friday, at the meeting of the EU’s 27 finance ministers in Luxembourg, Orbán’s representative announced that they would reject the introduction of a global minimum tax on corporate profits – despite the fact that agreement on the issue had long seemed certain. After months of negotiations, Poland has also given up its opposition to a 15% minimum tax rate. The well-informed Politico news portal quotes several diplomats saying that the debate with Orbán revived the old debate about the principle of unanimity in the European Union. It is unacceptable for one country to hold the whole EU “hostage”, Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party, recently said. He also pointed out that it was previously unthinkable for Poland to vote against Hungary, and vice versa, as both states defended each other – reported by Mandiner.

The Swiss journal also considers Orbán’s closeness to Putin incomprehensible. As it reports, this has resulted in creating a widening distance between his allies like the Visegrád Group and other former friends.

Since the Fukushima accident in March, fears about nuclear power plants on the continent have intensified across Europe. Most people fear that Europe could face a disaster similar to the one on the island of Japan. In Germany, the five oldest nuclear reactors have been temporarily shut down, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said in several forums that she was prepared to abandon nuclear power in the longer term.

Besides Germany, Switzerland has also announced that it would phase out nuclear power plants from its energy grid by 2034. The Swiss government submitted a proposal to the parliament on Wednesday, which will be debated by mid-June. The exact details were not disclosed, but it is expected that the timetable will be set according to the lifetime of the reactors. The oldest plant will be shut down in 2029, while the youngest will be shut down in 2034 – reported by Világgazdaság.

Zelensky orbán
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Budapest Airport fears negative effects of the departure tax

Budapest Airport Terminal 2b

Air travel in Western Europe has become complicated in recent times. Budapest is holding its own for the time being, and while there is no chaos, airport operators fear that the departure tax will lead to a significant drop in traffic. Read below to find out more.

The aviation sector is facing a huge labour shortage, but Budapest does not expect the same chaos as many Western European airports this summer. Budapest Airport anticipates a strong increase in traffic after two years of low tide. Based on the information received from an internal source, Napi.hu reports that the Hungarian airport employees do not plan to call a strike.

EU countries compared to Hungary

More than 191,000 airport workers across Europe lost their jobs after the COVID outbreak. This summer, the number of workers could approach 2019 levels. Augustin de Romanet, Chairman/CEO at Aeroports de Paris, said at the end of April that Charles de Gaulle and Orly Airports were facing a combined staff shortage of around 4,000 employees. The main shortages are of maintenance technicians and baggage handlers.

France’s main airport, Charles de Gaulle near Paris, went on strike for an immediate pay rise of EUR 300 EUR (HUF 120,000), cancelling a quarter of their flights, reports EuroNews. Baggage screening and boarding took longer and even those whose flights were not directly affected by the strike faced significant delays. Air France alone cancelled 85 flights that day.

On Wednesday, Ryanair workers in Italy went on strike, and thousands of EasyJet and Volotea workers in Italy also walked off the job. “This is only the first strike: this summer will be boiling,” added the Italian transport workers’ union.

Budapest attempts to steer clear

While it was confirmed that Budapest Airport’s financial situation is stable, there is a risk that the introduction of the departure tax will have a significant impact on traffic.

“So far, there is no noticeable shortage, there are no crowded queues even at the peak hours, and we often receive positive feedback from passengers that they got through the check-in line and passed security relatively quickly. Since May last year, they’ve employed nearly a hundred new people and they’re mitigating the overcrowding. Still, we’re short compared to the number of passengers we are expecting. It requires significant overtime and extra hard work on the part of the employees. The increase in charter flights from the end of June and the start of flights to the US will swamp us.” said an airport worker.

“The number of available staff in Budapest is relatively high compared to many other European airports. This is because others outsource their process, while Budapest Airport has its own staff,” says Budapest Airport. At other Western European airports, it has not been possible to replace workers. In Budapest, however, the airport managed to keep most of its staff during the epidemic by reallocating certain tasks.

In the city centre, self-service check-in points are being set up for passengers. One check-in point is already under testing at the Airport bus stop at Kálvin Square. The Deák Square check-in will soon be ready for use also.

At these points, passengers can both do the check-in and print their baggage tags in advance. Budapest Airport’s long-term plan is to allow passengers to leave their luggage at these stops, which will be taken to the plane and checked in by the airport staff.

German arms and French helicopter plant to open soon in Hungary

Rheinmetall Germany

The cooperation between Hungary and German armed vehicle manufacturer Rheinmetall is faring well, with a plant in Zalaegerszeg, in south-western Hungary, slated to be inaugurated within the next two weeks and the construction of two ammunition plants planned to start soon in Várpalota, in central Hungary, the minister for technology and innovation said in Villepinte, near Paris, on Monday.

Rheinmetall

Speaking to MTI by phone on the sidelines of the Eurosatory defence and security exhibition, László Palkovics said that besides the production agreement, Rheinmetall has also signed a research agreement with Hungary, on developing a hybrid armoured infantry vehicle.

Airbus

Meanwhile, Airbus is opening a helicopter parts plant in Gyula, in southeastern Hungary, this month.

“Besides gun, ammunition and land vehicle manufacturing, Hungary has also put itself on the map of aircraft manufacturing,” Palkovics said.

Nurol Makina

Hungary has also bought 500 vehicles from Nurol Makina, a Turkish armoured vehicle manufacturer, he added. Of these, 50 have already been called up, and the first ten Gidrán-type armoured vehicles for support duties arrived in Hungary at the beginning of the year, while the installation of the remaining forty is expected to begin in Kaposvár in September.

The first 50 vehicles are still being manufactured in Turkey, but as the number of vehicles increases, more and more will be produced in Hungary, the minister said.

Last December, it was announced that the Hungarian Defence Forces would systemise more than 300 Gidrán 4×4 armoured wheeled military vehicles. The vehicles will also be produced in Hungary, in Kaposvár, on the model of the Turkish Nurol Makina Ejder Yalcin and NMS 4×4 military vehicles.

Eurosatory, the largest defence exhibition in Europe, has drawn 1,700 exhibitors from 62 countries this year. Over 200 delegations and 100,000 visitors are expected. The exhibition runs between 13 and 17 June.

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Foreign Minister: Competitiveness, environmental protection must go hand in hand

szijjártó péter foreign minister

The improvement of competitiveness and environmental protection should go hand in hand, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told a meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris on Thursday.

Hungary is proud to be one of 21 countries that have achieved economic growth while reducing their harmful emissions, Szijjártó told the meeting on trade and sustainability, according to a ministry statement.

Szijjártó stressed that Europe must not allow its environmental protection measures to put it at a competitive disadvantage to its global rivals.

He also said that if the European Union were too strict with its partners as regards political regimes and environmental protection measures in trade agreements, it could eventually find itself in a position where “we can only trade with ourselves”, causing it to lose significant potential for growth.

Szijjártó underscored that environmental protection must not be “held hostage” by any sort of ideology or philosophy.

He also urged a fact-based debate on which energy sources could be considered clean and green, saying it was important to ensure fair competitive conditions for nuclear energy.

Investments in the peaceful use of nuclear energy should not be discriminated against, especially now that the energy security of many member states is at stake, Szijjártó said.

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Hungary lost 2/3rd of its territory 102 years ago: was it inevitable?

Hungary Trianon map

The peace treaty of Trianon, signed on June 4, 1920, is regarded as one of the greatest tragedies in Hungarian history. That is understandable since millions of Hungarians were separated from their motherland. Now, almost 2 million Hungarians live in Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine, and Serbia, who still suffer disadvantages because of their nationality. Of course, the problems of ethnically mixed regions are not the specific challenge of the Carpathian Basin but of every country in Central-Europe to which the governments, NGOs, and citizens have to find answers in the future. But was it inevitable to lose 2/3rd of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1920?

Trianon, one of the greatest national tragedies

On June 4, 1920, life stopped for a minute everywhere in the “mutilated”, “small” Hungary. At 4.32 pm, two Hungarian officials, who planned no further political career, signed the Peace Treaty of Trianon at the Grand Trianon in Versailles. The Hungarian society regarded the act as one of the greatest tragedies in Hungary’s history, and everybody was shocked in the country even though the new borders were more or less known by then.

Hungary Peace Treaty of Trianon
The Hungarian delegation on their way to sign the Peace Treaty of Trianon. Photo: Wikimedia

Everybody asked why the great powers were so brutal with Hungary? Why did Hungary suffer the greatest territorial loss after WWI?

Legends were born about freemasons, the French president’s Hungarian daughter-in-law and Romanian prostitutes to explain the inexplicable collapse of “Greater Hungary”.

If we try to forget these and would like to find the real reasons, we should concentrate on at least three hubs of causes.

First, we should not forget the entente’s prime goal after WWI: weakening Germany. Every politician in Paris, London or Rome knew that Germany, despite their defeat, would remain a great power. To prevent Berlin from starting a war, the entente agreed they should destroy all their possible allies in Europe. That is why they decided to dismantle the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and Hungary itself. They wanted to create a corridor around Germany that could stop Berlin’s future expansion.

As a result, Czechoslovakia, “Greater Romania” and Yugoslavia were born and received huge territories from Hungary with millions of Hungarians.

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson wanted otherwise but realized already by 1918 that the high principle of the self-determination of people would be neglected at the peace conference. As a result, their delegation travelled home, and they never ratified the Peace Treaty of Trianon.

Trianon_consequences
The consequences of the peace treaty. Photo: Wikimedia

Armed resistance?

Second, the Central Powers, including Hungary, were defeated. Starvation, coal shortage, and the collapse of state institutions followed. Moreover, revolutions came one after the other between 1918 and 1920. The Károlyi government formed after the victorious Aster Revolution on October 31, 1918, started quick disarmament

to prevent a civil war or a Bolshevik-style coup d’état.

Furthermore, they thought that a new, pacifist and democratic Hungary would receive favourable terms in Paris. The people also believed in Károlyi since his good relations to French leaders were widely known. One of his fellow party member, for example, shouted in the parliament in 1918 that they were the friends of entente. Historians today state that provided Károlyi was a more characteristic leader committed to defending Hungary with armed forces, he could have saved 5-10,000 square kilometres more. But he could not have prevented losing huge territories anyway because of

the French plan of creating a corridor of Germany in the region.

The post-war period in Hungary was an apocalypse-like world. Therefore, the support for Károlyi and his governments faded away fast after the failures and the advancement of foreign armies. Károlyi wanted the Social-democratic Party to form a government since it had almost 1 million party members by early 1919. He did not know that Socialdemocratic leaders made a pact with Béla Kun’s Communists and when he realized, it was too late.

Trianon memorial in Békéscsaba
The Trianon memorial in Békéscsaba. Photo: Wikimedia

Even Western-Hungary lost

The formation of the Hungarian Soviet Republic on March 21, 1919, was a shock in Paris. As a result, the peace conference did not invite Hungary, though the final borders were determined in 1919 May when the Communist regime ruled in Budapest. 

Thanks to the Soviet Republic, Austria got Western-Hungary, today’s Burgenland. The aim of that decision was to make a viable Austria that does not inevitably have to join Germany. However, Austria was also defeated, but Hungary’s soviet republic solved that moral dilema.

The entente’s decision on Western Hungary was corrected only once, in 1921 December in the Sopron plebiscite. Sopron and some settlements decided to remain part of Hungary.

To sum it all up, the partition of Hungary was inevitable after the Central Power’s defeat in WWI.

The Red Map
The “Red Map” showing Hungarians with red colour. Photo: Wikimedia
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