Hungary will lose its veto right in the EU?
Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, claimed that 26 EU member states would have deprived Hungary of its veto right if PM Orbán had blocked the country’s EU accession this week.
According to the English version of Ukrainian Pravda, Ms Stefanishyna said that there was an official procedure which Brussels has never exercised yet. But it would result in taking away a country’s veto right in the EU. She added that Orbán was satisfied after the summit since the EU unblocked EUR 10 billion.
We wrote about what happened in detail HERE.
Hungary’s foreign minister called Polish counterpart but evaded to talk about hot topics
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Friday congratulated Radoslaw Sikorski on his appointment as Poland’s new foreign minister.
Following a phone call with Sikorski, Szijjártó said on Facebook that they “see eye to eye on more things than we would have thought”.
“I wished him much success since the success of brotherly Poland is in the interest of Hungary,” Szijjártó said.
Both parties consider the Visegrád Group as instrumental in promoting shared national interests, Szijjártó said, adding that they were also in agreement concerning the importance of border control.
“We also agreed that the rights of national minorities should be respected as a European value to be maintained in all circumstances,” Szijjártó said.
According to the Facebook post, Sikorski accepted an invitation for an official visit to Hungary.
Read also:
- FM Szijjártó: Hungarian-Polish brotherhood key element of foreign policy – Read more HERE
Polish MP receives high Hungarian award
Tomasz Zielinski, a deputy of the Law and Justice party in the Polish lower house, on Wednesday received the Order of Merit of Hungary, Knight’s Cross, from Hungarian Ambassador Orsolya Zsuzsanna Kovács, in Warsaw.
Zielinski has been recognised for his efforts in strengthening social ties between Hungary and Poland, as well as promoting Hungary in his country.
In her laudation, the ambassador highlighted Zielinski as one “promoting Polish-Hungarian ties even when it was made difficult by external factors”. His initiative – a competition for Polish secondary school students about the friendship between Hungary and Poland – “was aimed at the youngest, who can continue the construction of ties,” she added.
The competition has been held twice, with over 2,000 students participating.
Read also:
- Surprising new turn: Poland may help Hungary get EU funds back
- Budapest Airport loses flight to Polish city but might get another to East Asia, details HERE
BREAKING! Leaked: Pfizer-BioNtech sued Hungary
Politico has obtained a document revealing that Pfizer-BioNTech initiated legal proceedings against the Hungarian government in January. Surprisingly, both the company and the Orbán cabinet have maintained complete silence on this matter. Delve into the details below to understand this conflict broke out.
According to Politico, the company brought the case to a Belgian court. “Discussions with the government in Budapest are ongoing”, a spokesperson of the firm highlighted. But what prompted this legal dispute?
The Hungarian government had ordered 3 million BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine doses, amounting to approximately EUR 60 million. However, they not only declined to accept the delivery but also refused payment. The cabinet communicated this decision to the company in November 2022, citing the financial strain caused by the influx of refugees from the war in Ukraine.
Interestingly, Pfizer sought a fast-tracked judgment, but a judge dismissed that request in March.
This is not an isolated incident, as Pfizer has initiated a similar process against Poland. In that instance, the quantity of vaccines is substantially larger – precisely 60 million doses worth EUR 1.2 billion. Warsaw had declared in April 2022 that they were unable to accept and pay for the vaccine package due to the impact of the war in Ukraine and the surge of Ukrainian refugees.
Romania, European Commission also on the ‘death list’ of Pfizer-BioNTech
Legal cases concerning vaccines and COVID-19 are proliferating. For instance, in Romania, prosecutors aim to sue a former prime minister and two health ministers because they allegedly bought too many vaccines and, as a result, caused EUR 1 billion in damage to the state budget.
Adding to the complexity, a Belgian lobbyist has filed a lawsuit against Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He asserts that she played a role in brokering the EU’s largest vaccine deal involving 1.1 billion doses. Scandals involving von der Leyen and the German company abound, with the President acknowledging in a New York Times interview that she exchanged text messages with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla regarding the procurement of a substantial volume of vaccines.
Read also:
FM Szijjártó: Hungarian-Polish brotherhood key element of foreign policy
Maintaining “Hungarian-Polish brotherhood” is a central element of Hungary’s foreign policy strategy, even if the two countries may disagree on certain issues, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Monday.
Hungary does not view its cooperation with Poland from a tactical perspective, Szijjártó said after meeting Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek, his Polish counterpart, according to a ministry statement.
“We see Hungarian-Polish relations as more than friendship and more than an alliance,” Szijjártó said, adding that Hungary considered its ties with Poland a “brotherhood”. “And even if we have disagreements, different points of emphasis or different approaches to certain issues, brotherhood is still brotherhood.”
Szijjártó said Hungary respected the Polish nation and its decisions, and strove for good cooperation with Poland’s elected government.
Maintaining “Hungarian-Polish brotherhood”, he said, would remain one of the key components of Hungary’s foreign policy strategy in the future, too.
Concerning his talks with Szynkowski vel Sek, Szijjártó said they had talked at length about the future of the European Union and specifically what he called renewed intentions to amend the founding treaties with a view to strengthening Brussels’s powers.
“We were in agreement that the interests of a strong Poland and strong Hungary lie in a strong European Union, but we also concurred that it is not member states that are looked down on, weakened or blackmailed that make the EU strong,” Szijjártó said. “The European Union will be strong if the member states themselves are strong, if they can represent their interests and if they stand by and adhere to their historical and religious heritage and traditions.”
He said Hungary and Poland rejected “extreme” plans aimed at creating “a kind of superstate”, handing “even more powers” to Brussels.
“We think there’s enough power in Brussels already, and in fact the way we see it, whenever there’s a crisis or a challenging period, it’s the decisions made by member states and decisions made through intergovernmental agreements and cooperation that are a lot more effective, quicker and more efficient,” Szijjártó said.
He said Hungary and Poland insisted on the EU’s unanimity rule in decision-making where the treaties required it.
“We don’t accept Brussels bureaucrats, Soros agents or even the bigger member states deciding about our own affairs,” he said.
“Let’s think about what would happen if instead of us, it would be the various components of the Soros network making decisions in areas like defence policy, taxation, education or even energy supply,” Szijjártó added.
Meanwhile, he said Hungary and Poland rejected efforts to legalise illegal migration.
“We reject efforts from Brussels to blackmail member states into giving up our sovereign right to decide to whom we allow entry into Hungary and whom we want to live together with,” the minister said.
Read also:
- Former Ukrainian PM planned meeting Orbán but wasn’t let out of Ukraine?
- Minister: Hungary does not support EU budget amedment, Ukraine accession
Visegrad Group interior ministers meet with the counterparts of Germany and Austria
By defending its own borders Hungary is also protecting the public security of other EU countries, Sándor Pintér, the interior minister, said on Monday in Szeged, in southern Hungary, where Visegrad Group counterparts met with the interior ministers of Germany and Austria.
At the meeting, he briefed his counterparts on how Hungary is going about protecting the external Schengen borders as well as forms of international cooperation the country is now engaged in and future related plans, he told a joint press conference.
Whereas Hungary “is ready to cooperate and accept proposals”, it will not agree to the mandatory relocation of migrants, he said, adding that this was a matter of sovereignty.
Czechia’s Vit Rakusan said joint action was required to handle migration and protecting the external borders was a common interest.
Given pressure from the Western Balkan migration corridor, law enforcement cooperation with third countries would continue, he said, noting that Czech police have been involved in border protection since 2015, and Czechia plans to continue this assistance in 2024.
The ministers agreed to hold regular meetings to evaluate migration processes, he said, adding that controlling internal borders was far less preferable than protecting the external borders. A common European solution was needed, he said, but finding a compromise “is not straightforward”.
Germany’s Nancy Faeser the pressures of secondary migration had led many member states to introduce internal border controls, even though all EU countries preferred open borders within the EU.
She said joint action against people smuggling was required and Frontex must be strengthened.
Protecting human rights was “the basis of European cooperation”, she said, adding that this was especially so in the case of migration policy and the defence of the external borders.
Austria’s Gerhard Karner said his visit to Hungary had highlighted the importance of protecting the external borders, noting that Austrian, Czech and Slovak police officers were assisting these efforts effectively.
Slovakia’s Matus Sutaj-Estok said his country stood ready to provide help in protecting the bloc’s external borders, and the state of affairs was “favourable right now” thanks to “the action of the Serbian authorities and the weather” but preparations were needed to handle what would inevitably be renewed migration pressure in the spring.
Poland’s Bartosz Grodecki, the deputy interior minister, said the Schengen zone was a core value of the EU that must be maintained.
As we wrote a week ago, Hungary resumes residency sales for the wealthy, details HERE.
- read also: Why do German pensioners flood Hungary? – VIDEO
Surprising new turn: Poland may help Hungary get EU funds back
Hungary has lost access to funds granted by the European Union, a withdrawal period that has prolonged considerably. However, the recent Polish elections might change this circumstance.
The Polish elections were won by Donald Tusk and his coalition, opposing the previous Orbán-friendly government in a tight race. Orbán may have lost an ally in illiberal politics, but he likely gained one in financial standing, as Tusk is striving to secure their funds as well.
Unlikely allies
The funds closed off from Hungary are also fenced off from Poland, and Tusk is vigorously fighting to change this reality. He has consulted with Brussels and is on track to reclaim the pending funds for Poland. If he succeeds, Hungary is likely to benefit too, as excluding Hungary while granting funds to Poland would be politically unwise. Particularly since Poland has not officially fulfilled any of the terms set by the EU for fund suspension, while Hungary, albeit reluctantly, has completed a substantial portion, albeit with a considerable number of necessary documents missing or falling short of the required quality.
Currently, all the funds Hungary would be entitled to receive from the EU since 2021, amounting to roughly 30 billion Euros, are inaccessible. Hungary’s strategy to regain access involves attempting to leverage their veto power against the European Union.
What can a veto do?
Hungary’s stubbornness with these vetoes could have negative repercussions. If other European Member States rally behind the idea of an inner club that denies access to funds for obstinate countries, the total inability to compromise may cease. According to this article, Hungary could potentially regain access to some funds this year if they refrain from vetoing the EU budget review. The European Commission is requesting 100 billion Euros from Member States, with half intended for Ukraine as aid and the other half reserved for unforeseen costs. Many net depositors, such as the Germans, Dutch and Danes, adamantly oppose increasing contributions to the European budget.
Read more about the budget issue HERE.
The Ukrainian question
Ukrainian aid is another potential target for a Hungarian veto. Orbán’s position weakens with the recent election of Slovakian Prime Minister Fico, another Orbán ally who is hesitant to support the aid, making it challenging for Orbán to use blackmail tactics for EU funds. Moreover, the majority of European countries have expressed readiness to aid Ukraine. Hungary could also veto negotiations with Ukraine regarding its potential European Union membership, but this would lack legitimacy as negotiations can only commence if Ukraine implements the recommendations of the Venice Commission on minority issues—precisely why Hungary opposed Ukraine initially.
Read more about the Ukraine war dilemma HERE.
What happens next?
All that’s left for Hungary now is to actually commit to the terms that restrict the access to the funds and consult with the European Commission regarding it.
The Commission is also set to prepare a report shortly on the state of the rule of law mechanism in Hungary, assessing the government’s efforts to access the frozen budget (55% of the three largest programmes).
While not all issues have been resolved, partial successes have been achieved, and further clarification on these restrictions is anticipated in early December.
Budapest Airport loses flight to Polish city but might get another to East Asia
Budflyer wrote that Ryanair, the Irish low-cost airline and Wizz Air’s main competitor, terminated flights between Budapest and Poznan. However, a recently published government announcement suggests Budapest might get a new flight to an important East Asian city and one of the biggest commercial hubs in the world.
According to Budflyer, Ryanair terminated the operation of the Budapest-Poznan flight. The last plane took off at the beginning of the winter season. As a result, you might reach only Warsaw Chopin, and Modlin airports directly from the Hungarian capital.
Meanwhile, the Hungarian Gazette, the official paper of the Hungarian government publishing their decrees and other decisions, wrote about a possible new flight from Budapest. According to the Gazette, there is a vacant air travel right to operate a direct flight between Hong Kong and Budapest. The applicants can submit all relevant documents to the Ministry of Construction and Transport. The right is based on an Agreed Record between China and Hungary signed on 4 June, 2018.
Based on the call for applications, multiple EU-based airlines can operate flights on the route. Passenger and cargo flights can be established, while the available frequency is 14 per week. Furthermore, the planes should not come or go from Budapest Airport, any other airport is eligible.
We wrote HERE about the new winter destinations from Budapest Airport.
Read also:
- Fire service of Budapest Airport officially established
Attention! A Ryanair flight to Budapest set to be cancelled soon
Ryanair’s Budapest-Poznan service is set to be cancelled from the start of the winter season.
Budflyer has pointed out in a Facebook post that a flight has been removed from Ryanair’s booking system. The flight between Budapest and Poznan in Poland will be operated until the start of the winter season.
Thereafter, the Irish low-cost airline will operate flights from Budapest Airport to Poland with connections to Warsaw Chopin and Modlin airports only.
Orbán miscalculated: He lost his biggest European ally
Viktor Orbán has once again found himself on the wrong side of shifting European political dynamics, this time concerning the recent elections in Poland.
Poland, one of Europe’s most influential middle powers due to its substantial economy and military strength, significantly impacts European politics through its elections. Until now, Polish and Hungarian politicians have generally stood together in European politics. However, the recent Polish elections might mark a swift change in this partnership.
Loss of an ally, strong adversary on the horizon
Hungary has long aligned itself with other illiberal democracies, including Poland. From Hungary’s perspective, the changes in Polish politics mean the loss of one of its most crucial traditional allies, putting the longstanding concept of Polish-Hungarian friendship in jeopardy, a concept Hungary vehemently supported.
Not only does Hungary lose one of it’s allies, most likely it will also gain an adversary to be reckoned with. Especially considering the sway they wield in European politics and the almost certain appointment of Donald Tusk as their next leader. This will prove to be a problem for Hungary’s political leaders, writes 444.
Speaking of Hungary’s political leaders and their challenges, it is essential to consider the increasing isolation from the European Union as well as Viktor Orbán’s Russian friendly politics. These foreign policies pursued by Orbán further contribute to Hungary‘s isolation from the EU. Read more about Hungarian foreign policies HERE.
What comes next?
In the past, Hungary had enjoyed the support of Poland’s governing party, PiS, led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski. However, this changed with a high turnout (estimated at 73%) in the Polish elections this year, ending the illiberal regime. The result of these events will inevitably lead to changes in the region, including the appointment of a new Prime Minister, likely Donald Tusk, who leads the Civic Coalition. You can read more about the Polish election HERE.
Tusk faces a challenging task navigating the complicated political landscape that has evolved, which consists of cooperating with the Civic Coalition and managing remaining PiS loyalists in key positions. Tusk’s primary internal policy goal is to discredit PiS and demonstrate that there is no future for EU member states that question the rule of law, which directly affects Hungary.
In other words, the primary internal policy for Tusk is to step up against Hungary.
Since he has an extensive political history, this is a feasible goal for him. Tusk used to be the president of the European Council and also served as a former Polish Prime Minister. In this regard, he has the same level of political experience as Viktor Orbán.
As for the leader of Hungary, Orbán is likely to face considerable embarrassment in response to the situation, as explaining the loss of a crucial traditional ally will not go down well.
It appears that the “Warsaw Express” has dismantled the Eastern European illiberal axis, leaving uncertainty about what else it may alter in its wake.
Orbán’s tactics failed again, PiS is angry
Kaczynski’s secret political weapon backfired. Turns out they employed Hungarian advisers for the failed campaign. At least that’s what a Polish newspaper said.
Seems like the Law and Justice (PiS) government that has been getting the most votes for the last 8 years will need even more to carry on now. Both the Sejm and the Upper House have opposition majorities. The Polish media is practically stating the change of government as a fact.
Naturally, Jaroslaw Kaczynskis’ party can still try stalling for time. To an equal degree, Andrzej Duda, president of the republic, can cause an inconvenience by entrusting the continuation to the forming of a minority government. It’s another can of worms that the next prime minister of Poland will most likely be Donald Tusk. He will govern the country as the head of a three-party coalition.
“The PiS has had better days: the party is trying to place the responsibility of this colossal failure. Names are being mentioned, including some who are advisers to the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.”
comments the Polish newspaper Polytika.
After the resignation of Tomasz Poreba, the ruling party’s election guru, the campaign landed in the hands of Joachim Brudzinski. He is a representative of the EP and has quite conservative views. It is said that this change of staff opened the door for the party advisers of Viktor Orbán. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, president of PiS, believed that the increased staff and Hungarian ideas will lead to victory.
The newspaper doesn’t say from whom exactly the party got their information, but the PiS argument was that they can use the Hungarian model with a little bit of translating and integrating. According to Polytika, representatives of Fidesz were never personally present. However, they held sway in the development of the campaign.
“They did whatever they wanted. Morawiecki’s people reasoned that they would help us win third mandate, and to do so, we would just have to adapt what worked for them,” a source told the paper. However, the Hungarians had not taken into account the specificities of the Polish electoral system and the public mood.
That’s how the Polish ruling party’s campaign focus points included a referendum against the compulsory resettlement of migrants. This referendum was, coincidentally, held on the same day as the elections. You can read more about it HERE.
This idea might ring a bell to our Hungarian readers, since in 2022, there was also a referendum on election day, only the topic was ‘child protection’.
The Hungarians also persuaded the PiS campaign advisers to give Donald Tusk a run for his money. According to the PiS allied politicians, this also backfired. They state that it only motivated those rooting for the opposition to mobilise.
The disillusioned PiS campaign advisers put the blame on Jaroslaw Kaczynski as well. “He agreed to the expanding of the staff and honestly believed that Orbáns’ advisers would bring him success. It’s a pity he wasn’t surrounded by people who would’ve told him this couldn’t work in our country.”
The Wizz Air-Ryanair battle for Europe continues with new flights to Poland
Wizz Air’s CEO, József Váradi, has announced the addition of 35 new aircraft for Poland, while Ryanair’s Chief, Michael O’Leary, is set to operate 180 new Central and Eastern European aircrafts over the next eight years.
The battle for Europe continues
Irish carrier Ryanair and Hungary-based Wizz Air find themselves entangled in a six-way battle for European passengers. CEO Michael O’Leary told Reuters that they currently operate from more than a dozen Polish airports.
“When we go up against Wizz Air, we generally have significantly lower fares and much lower costs” stated O’Leary regarding the ongoing price war. O’Leary further revealed plans for the airline to operate a total of 400 new aircraft over the next eight years, with 180 of them serving Central and Eastern Europe.
Wizz Air strikes back
Jószef Váradi, the CEO of Wizz Air, has declared that they are prepared to challenge the Irish airline. Wizz Air is set to introduce 35 new aircraft in Poland. “We are envisioning double-digit annual growth within the region for the next seven to eight years,” Váradi stressed.
According to data from the analytical firm IBA, low-cost carriers now hold over 59% of the Polish air transport market, a significant increase from 31% just two years ago. Ryanair’s focus primarily lies on regional airports, while Wizz Air predominantly operates from Warsaw.
The Polish and Eastern European markets hold particular importance as there is less regulation concerning domestic travel compared to the heightened focus on raising ticket prices and protecting bus and rail operators in Italy and France.
Aircraft expansion is the key
Both Ryanair and Wizz Air regard the acquisition of new aircraft as the cornerstone of their expansion, as reported by economx.hu. “Currently, we have 64 aircraft in the region. We anticipate doubling the fleet in the next decade. If we presently accommodate around 30 million passengers in the region, we project to reach 60 million,” stated Ryanair’s Poland Head.
József Váradi asserted that the conflict in Ukraine, bordering Poland, has not deterred the desire for travel.
“In the end, as long as economies thrive, GDP increases, consumers will enjoy greater disposable income and airlines will continue to prosper. That is what we are witnessing and expect to persist,” explained Váradi.
Orbán: Legally we are raped
European Union member states have no chance of reaching an agreement on migration, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said, arriving at an informal summit of EU leaders in Granada on Friday.
EU leaders had originally agreed that regulations on migration would require unanimity, but this was changed at the last summit, Orbán said.
Since Hungary and Poland were “totally left out” of the new migration package, it is impossible to reach a new agreement because “legally we are raped”, the prime minister said.
“So after this, there is no chance to have any kind of compromise and agreement on migration. Politically it’s impossible. Not today, generally speaking, for the next years,” he said.
Concerning EU enlargement, Orbán said Hungary promoted expanding the bloc, but several member states were citing “enlargement fatigue”, which he said was “not fair” to those awaiting membership.
Orbán said Hungary backed Georgia’s accession to the bloc, and a joint government meeting will be held in Tbilisi next week.
Regarding Ukraine’s EU outlook, he called for a strategic review, saying the accession of a country at war would be unprecedented and this raised “too many questions”. First, the strategic foundations must be clarified, such as why integrating Ukraine would be good for the EU, what the consequences of doing so are and “how much money we’re talking about”, he said.
Also, he added, there were security questions in the areas of eg, cohesion policy and agriculture, and an entirely new type of agriculture would emerge.
Answering journalists’ questions, Orbán said Azerbaijan was a decisive country without which energy independence from Russia could not be attained, and Hungary already had a deal with Baku on gas deliveries.
He said the southern energy corridor was crucial for Hungary, especially after the terrorist disabling of northern routes, and guaranteeing its security was a priority.
Addressing tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, the prime minister said Pristina must change its attitude. In the past two years, he said, the Kosovans had provoked the Serbs, rocking the region’s stability which depended on Serbia. Any sanctions against Belgrade would be “impossible” and “ridiculous”, he added.
Read also:
Fidesz accuses European Parliament of trying to interfere in Polish elections
The European Parliament is trying to interfere in the Polish elections by holding a debate and accusing Warsaw of “pitiful lies” only 12 days ahead of the elections, MEPs of ruling Fidesz said on Tuesday.
Speaking on the sidelines of a plenary debate on Poland, Kinga Gál said it was unacceptable that the EP was openly supporting Donald Tusk, the head of opposition PO, and “his pro-migration friends”.
“Hungarian experiences show that such attemps of interfering will not bring any good results in Poland, either,” she said. “Just like Hungarians, the Poles, too, want to decide for themselves what kind of government and country they have. They do not want interference from Brussels or Strasbourg in this matter,” she added.
The result of the Polish elections is crucial for Hungary, Gál said.
MEP Balázs Hidvéghi told an EP debate in Strasbourg, dubbed Corrupt large-scale sale of Schengen visas, that the Polish government was “obviously a thorn in the side” for the “pro-migration”, left-wing political forces in Brussels.
Hidvéghi said it was obvious that the purpose of the debate was to interfere in the elections in Poland. The EP has exaggerated the “insignificant issue” concerning visas whereas the authorities had already dealt with it, he added.
Read also:
Major success at 28th Budapest International Book Festival – Photos
The Association of Hungarian Publishers and Book Distributors (MKKE) organised the 28th Budapest International Book Festival between 28 September and 1 October 2023 at the Millenáris. The Book Festival is the most important event in the international book world and the region’s leading professional and cultural forum.
The four-day event featured 140 exhibitors, over 40 foreign authors, 180 programmes and more than 200 book signings on Millenáris Park, in Buildings B (Great Hall) and D (Glass Hall), at the Europa-Point and in the National Dance Theatre.
A special children’s section, Children’s literature, promoted children’s books and reading, and offered a colourful programme for families in Millenáris D.
The Budapest International Book Festival traditionally hosts the world’s most prestigious writers and poets. This year’s guest of honour was the popular American science fiction writer John Scalzi, who received the Budapest Grand Prize from the Mayor of Budapest.
This year’s Guest of Honour was the Netherlands. In recent years, the number of Dutch books published in Hungarian translation has been exceptionally high, even in Central Europe. The slogan of the Dutch pavilion reflected this: “on the sea of books”.
Visitors to the Book Festival were able to meet dozens of prominent Dutch writers, poets and illustrators, including Arnon Grunberg, author and journalist of The Man Without a Disease, Abram de Swaan, essayist and sociologist, Martin Michael Driessen, writer, theatre and opera director, and Annemarie Bon, popular youth author. The Guest of Honour stand featured a succession of round tables, thematic discussions and readings.
The Book Festival was opened by Ildikó Boldizsár, József Attila Prize-winning author, storyteller, folklorist and story therapist, who celebrates her 60th birthday this year. Speeches were given by Désirée Bonis, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Budapest, and Arnon Grunberg, Guest of Honour of the Netherlands.
Désirée Bonis, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Budapest, said in her welcome speech that the popularity of the Book Festival, which is now in its twenty-eighth year, shows that Hungarians are a book-loving people.
It is an honour to have the Netherlands as our guest of honour this year, she said, adding that after more than a year of preparation, the cream of Dutch literature would be present at the Book Festival in the coming days.
“A number of Dutch authors would take part in talks, book signings and other events, and the Dutch stand at the festival would feature both Dutch books in Hungarian and Hungarian writings in Dutch,” said Desirée Bonis.
Dutch writer Arnon Grunberg recalled the totalitarian dictatorships that plagued Europe, adding that we are now “living in an age of rationality and reason”. But people still want to follow ideologies while they also want justice, even though the two can easily conflict, he warned.
The international character of the book festival was reinforced by the book stalls on each floor, each themed by a country.
The Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Hungary had a large stand for those interested in the country and Arab culture. On offer were several Saudi fairy tales for children, translated into Hungarian, so that visitors could learn about a Saudi story, while adults could learn about the futuristic minds of Vision 2030 in smaller publications.
Türkiye was represented by the Yunus Emre Institute in Budapest, while Romania, Palestine and the Polish Institute representing Poland were also present. German and Russian literature was also on display.
Ukraine files lawsuit against Hungary, Poland and Slovakia
Kyiv sues Hungary, Poland and Slovakia for refusing to lift the ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products. Ukraine is particularly furious at Hungary for extending the list of agricultural goods banned.
The European Commission on Friday lifted the import restrictions on wheat, maize, sunflower and rapeseed introduced on 2 May. In response, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia introduced national bans on agricultural raw materials and foodstuffs from Ukraine, Economx reports.
Bulgaria has not extended the restrictions, Romania is waiting for Kyiv’s proposals on export restrictions.
Ukraine is suing Hungary, Poland and Slovakia at the World Trade Organization (WTO) for refusing to lift the ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products under their national jurisdiction, Ukraine’s deputy trade minister Taras Kachka told Politico.
“In our eyes these measures of Hungary and Poland is a statement of total distrust to the European Commission,”
Kachka said.
Poland, Hungary and Slovakia’s open defiance of Brussels is not only an internal EU issue. It also raises the biggest systemic concern: whether international trading partners can trust Brussels to speak for the European Union.
While Slovakia has simply extended the EU’s previous ban on four cereals, Poland imposed a further ban on Ukrainian flour and fodder over the weekend. According to Kachka, Hungary is going even further:
it is banning 25 more products that were previously off limits, including meat.
According to the deputy minister, these arbitrary bans are ridiculous. He believes that Hungary has practically announced that it is blocking all trade with Ukraine, and is completely ignoring the decision of Brussels.
Read also:
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- Foreign Policy: despite his promise, PM Orbán will not allow Sweden to enter NATO – UPDATED
Agriculture minister: Brussels’ manoeuvring on Ukrainian grain ‘unacceptable’
The decision on Brussels not to prolong the ban on the import of Ukrainian agricultural products in the five bordering member countries “is outrageous and unacceptable”, István Nagy, the minister of agriculture, said in Brussels on Monday.
After taking part in a meeting of EU agriculture ministers, Nagy told Hungarian journalists that the European Commission’s decision not to prolong the import ban had caused “serious problems”, and also raised political questions insofar as EC president Ursula von der Leyen chose to discuss the matter with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rather than the elected leaders of EU member states.
Nagy said the interests of a third country appeared to be more important to the EC than those of EU member states.
The EU, he added, had allowed Ukraine carte-blanche over import controls, which he said was “laughable”.
The ban on the import of Ukrainian grain is a matter of EUR 6 billion for the five EU member states involved, he said. “Brussels refuses to understand this, which is why brave, tough and unilateral national measures had to be taken,” he said, adding that otherwise the countries would be flooded with Ukrainian grain before harvest.
The minister said the import ban must be reinstated, and if any country chose to relax it or request an exception, they were free to do so. The grain can be transported through solidarity corridors to third countries, but it must not end up in European markets, he said.
Nagy said financial support was needed for land transport so that the grain reached sea ports and on to traditional market in Africa. “We warned the commission that if Ukrainian grain does not arrive there, Russian grain may take its place,” he added.
Hungary to start receiving gas from north
Hungary has reached a political agreement on potential gas deliveries from a new LNG terminal under construction in Gdansk, in northern Poland, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said in Karpacz on Wednesday.
The entry of Hungarian oil and gas company MOL onto the Polish market and Polish peer Orlen’s presence in Hungary provides a good basis for energy cooperation between the two countries, Szijjártó said after talks with Anna Moskwa, Poland’s energy affairs minister.
Hungary and Poland intend to expand their cooperation from fuel trade to gas purchases, he said, adding that the construction of a new liquefied natural gas terminal in Gdansk that will be used to export an annual 4-4.5 billion cubic metres of gas provided a new resource for diversification.
Szijjártó and Moskwa:
This gives Hungary an opportunity to have a new gas delivery route, Szijjártó said, noting the existing interconnectors between Poland and Slovakia and between Slovakia and Hungary. This means that there is a possibility to deliver significant volumes of gas annually along this route, he added.
Hungarian state-owned energy company MVM had signalled its intent to contract capacity from the terminal, Szijjártó said, adding that the binding phase for booking capacity had started in September.
The minister said he and Moskwa had agreed that Poland would provide all the necessary political support to expanding bilateral energy cooperation to gas deliveries.
He added, at the same time, that there was a lot more to discuss in the coming weeks concerning the terms of delivery and the technical details.
“This adds to the country’s energy security, which is particularly important amid the current times of energy crisis in Europe,” Szijjártó said.
He noted that Hungary has also signed gas purchase agreements with Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Qatar, but it was clear that the energy infrastructure in south-eastern Europe did not have the capacity to handle these delivery volumes. “We hope this will change in the future,” he added.
Though the European Union is not willing to provide necessary financing, Hungary is working closely with the south-eastern European countries on expanding the capacities, the minister said.
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FM Szijjártó: Unfair to accuse Hungary of being pro-Russian
It is unfair to accuse Hungary of being pro-Russian, the foreign minister said on Wednesday, adding that no one could lecture Hungary on history and freedom because Hungarians knew full well what it was like to live under oppression “unlike those who haven’t experienced this”.
Addressing a panel discussion on the future of the Visegrád cooperation at the Economic Forum in Karpacz, in Poland, Szijjártó expressed criticism of those who he said accused Hungary of being “pro-Russia” and “Putin-friendly”, saying: “I don’t have to explain it here in Poland to the Polish that perception does not always equal reality.”
Hungary had to fight for its freedom and received no help in 1956 despite Radio Free Europe announcing at the time that the country would get support from the United States.
The ones trying to lecture Hungary on history, freedom, the Soviet Union and communist oppression today are those who never experienced it, the minister said.
He said it was unfair to accuse Hungary of being “pro-Russian”, arguing that it was the physical reality and the existing infrastructure that determined Hungary’s energy supply, and the European Union was not doing anything the develop alternative delivery routes.
“Okay, I’ll cut the gas contract with Russia, fine, we don’t buy the gas from Russia. And then what happens tomorrow?” Szijjártó said. “Who will explain it to the Hungarian people?” “The same with the nuclear … fine, we’ll cut the contract with Russia, no problem. Who is the one to stand here and say that I’ll replace these 2,400MW for you, same price, same schedule?” he said.
Hungary’s government is working to diversify its natural gas resources, but the capacity of the energy infrastructure in southeast Europe is very limited and the EU does not want to finance its development, Szijjártó said.
Similarly, 85% of Hungary’s oil consumption is covered from Russian sources, but the Croatian authorities have increased the transit fee five-fold via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, the only alternative route, and no one in Europe is protesting this, he added.
Meanwhile, Szijjártó said the United States had purchased twice as much uranium from Russia in the first half of this year as during the whole of last year.
On the subject of the Visegrád Four cooperation, Szijjártó said the grouping was still a strategic focus of Hungarian foreign policy, as the central European countries had a better chance of overcoming difficult circumstances if they were united.
The Visegrád cooperation has made achievements in recent years that have served the interests of not just Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, but the whole of Europe, he said.
Szijjártó argued that if the four countries had not presented a united front against Europe’s planned mandatory migrant quotas, the continent would be full of illegal migrants waiting to be distributed.
He also noted that the Czech, Polish and Hungarian militaries were cooperating in policing Slovakia’s airspace and that the other three countries had assisted Hungary with its border protection efforts when migration pressure peaked.
The V4 have also contributed significantly to getting enlargement on the EU’s agenda, he said, arguing that they were united in their support for the EU integration of the Western Balkan countries, unlike several western European leaders, who he said only supported it in public.
Given that the V4 comprises four sovereign countries, they will never be in 100% agreement on the various issues, and it is natural to have “ups and downs” in relations due to disagreements, Szijjártó said, adding, however, that the countries had always been capable of separating these disagreements from other aspects of their cooperation on which they were united.
Concerning the V4’s economic weight, he said the combined GDP of the four countries would put them in 14th place in the global ranking, adding that trade between Germany and the V4 was double the trade volume between Germany and France.
Szijjártó welcomed that the current Czech V4 presidency sought to focus on practical accomplishments, pointing out that central Europe would be willing to purchase natural gas from Qatar, Azerbaijan, Türkiye, though the southeast European energy infrastructure did not have the capacity for this and needed to be developed.
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Government acknowledged that there are too many conflicts between V4 countries
Tibor Navracsics, Hungary’s minister for regional development, urged deeper cooperation among the Visegrád Group countries, at an international conference in Budapest on Friday.
In order for the central European grouping comprising Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia to be successful, the four countries must deepen their cooperation, Navracsics told a panel discussion at the Visegrad Summer Academy conference organised by the National University of Public Service and the Waclaw Felczak Institute of Polish-Hungarian Cooperation.
The minister said that of the four members, Hungary had the strongest emotional commitment to the grouping. He said Czechia and Slovakia were members of the V4 for “pragmatic and geopolitical” reasons, while Poland was a member “on a pragmatic and emotional basis”. Navracsics emphasised that cooperation among the four countries was especially good when it came to handling the issue of migration, but the war in Ukraine and Russia’s aggression had brought “a number of disagreements and debates to the surface”. He noted that the Hungarian government urged an immediate ceasefire and a just peace in Ukraine. He said the V4 needed “symbolic gestures” and its political cooperation to be strengthened.
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The event was addressed in a video message by President Katalin Novák, who underlined that the conference’s young participants were the guarantee of the V4‘s future. She highlighted the significance of the Waclaw Felczak Institute’s activities when it came to the strengthening of Hungarian-Polish friendship and stressed the importance of regional cooperation among central and eastern European countries during the war in Ukraine. Marek Kuchcinski, head of the Polish Chancellery, said the war had caused Warsaw to increase its defence spending to 4 percent of GDP. He said the V4 needed to ward off the “divide and conquer principle being applied by Moscow and Brussels”. All wars strengthen regional cooperation, and this is needed between Warsaw and Budapest, he added.