Speaker: Hungarian nation’s existence in continuous threat
The key to the longevity of the Visegrád Group has been its members’ ability to focus on issues that are of a shared interest and on which there is a chance for agreement, Speaker of Parliament László Kövér said at the All-Hungarian University Students’ Camp in Satoraljaujhely, in north-eastern Hungary, on Monday.
The cooperation between Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia has been most useful in giving the four countries the needed political weight within the European Union thanks to central Europe’s economic competitiveness, Kövér said in response to a question after his lecture.
This, he added, also required the economic and infrastructural development of a north-south European axis in addition to the existing west-east economic links. The five-day All-Hungarian University Students’ Camp is being attended by more than 300 young Hungarians from 18 countries, its organiser, the Rákóczi Association, said. It offers lectures, trips and sports and cultural programmes, they said.
Kövér also said that the Hungarian government aims to secure the existence of the Hungarian nation because Hungarians are in a continuous threat. The cabinet would like the Hungarian communities abroad to survive and thrive. Without them, the homeland does not have a chance. He added that the nation’s existence is under a continuous threat because of the new world in which war is not unknown an phenomenon. The consequences of the ongoing war in Ukraine will be like the Ottoman rule in Hungary between 1526 and 1699, 444.hu wrote.
Romanians outperform Hungarians, only the Bulgarians live worse than us
Romanians, Slovakians, and Poles are way ahead of the Hungarians in terms of standard of living, a new research shows. That contradicts the Hungarian government’s communication that Hungary is an economical leader in Central Europe.
Only Bulgarians live worse than us
According to Szeretlek Magyarország, an average Hungarian spends 72% of the EU’s standard level on consumption, which is 16% less than an average Romanian does. Based on the survey by Eurostat, Hungarian food prices neared 90% of the EU’s standard in 2022.
According to the EU’s statistics body, the main reason for the EU-top Hungarian inflation is the skyrocketing food prices. For example, we had to pay 100% more for butter and bread in December 2022 than in January. August marks the 12th month when the Hungarian inflation is the European Union’s highest.
In 2022, food prices grew to 89.9% of the EU average. In Austria, they stand at 107%, and in Slovakia, at 102%. But in Poland, they reach only 74% while that exact figure is 72% in Romania. According to the GKI, we can buy less with Hungarian salaries compared to Romanians or Slovakians.
- Hungarians do their grocery shopping in Romania – Read our article HERE
Romanian government made better choices
The research data also shows that the standard of living was only worse in Bulgaria in the European Union. Romania was well beyond Hungary in 2010. However, by 2022, they preceded Hungary concerning the level of salaries and, in 2023, that difference will continue to widen. And that is true of the Poles, as well. László Molnár, the CEO of the GKI Economic Research Co., said an average Hungarian spent 16% more on consumption than an average Romanian.
According to G7, a Hungarian economic news outlet, the development of the Romanian IT sector, aided by unprecedented state supports since 2001, contributed a lot to the catch-up process. Romania abolished the personal income tax for individuals working in the IT sector, which basically made Romania Europe’s IT hub. Today, Kolozsvár (Cluj Napoca) in Central Transylvania hosts 13,000 IT companies.
According to calculations, the PIT the country lost returned with the investments of foreign IT companies. Hungary chose a different path. The Orbán cabinet is targeting to develop the processing industry. They aim to attract German carmakers and Chinese battery producers. However, the latter doesn’t create high-added-value jobs. Instead, the government helps them import Asian guest workers because skilled Hungarians leave the country to work in West Europe, many in the IT sector.
New European destinations, more flights to China from Budapest Airport
LOT, Poland’s national airline, will begin to operate new flights from Budapest this September. That will open up new destinations for Hungarians and tourists travelling from Budapest to European cities. Furthermore, from August, China Easter Airlines will increase the number of weekly flights from Budapest.
“Fly with LOT, have breakfast in Warsaw”, Budapest Airport wrote in a recently published post about LOT’s new service. The Polish national airline will launch a service departing at 5.40 AM from Budapest to Warsaw in September. That is good news for those working in the Polish capital and an even better for Hungarian business travellers and tourists who aim to continue their travel from Warsaw.
That is because LOT’s flight will land in Warsaw at 7 AM, so you can even start your day with a traditional Polish breakfast called kanapka. In addition, LOT’s new flight offers excellent connections to destinations like Copenhagen, Billund (Denmark), Luxembourg and Düsseldorf. Of course, there are more destinations from Warsaw you may reach from Budapest quickly and comfortably with just one transfer. The list includes transatlantic ones like New York, Chicago or Toronto.
Such direct destinations are unlikely to open again from Budapest. That is possibly because the Biden and Orbán governments’ relationship is bad due to the Hungarian standpoint in the war in Ukraine (no arms deliveries for Ukraine and immediate ceasefire instead of more Ukrainian victories). As a result, Washington cancelled an important treaty avoiding double taxation.
What is more, Budapest Airport continues to expand and widen its network with Eastern destinations. China Eastern Airlines shared its new Shanghai-Budapest timetable on its Weibo site. They will increase the number of flights in that direction to 5 per week from August. As a result, we will be able to see the Shanghai Airlines’ B787-type Dreamliners at Budapest Airport every day. Here is the new schedule:
FM859/870 Shanghai: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday;
FM897/898 Ningbo: Monday, Thursday
Forint closes the week badly, further weakening expected
Thursday brought significant changes in the EUR-USD exchange rate because of the better-than-expected American inflation data and the softer communication of the European Central Bank. The USD strengthened, and that had a significant negative effect on the forint. But where is the end of that slope?
According to portfolio.hu, other factors affected the exchange rate of the forint. One of them was the Japanese national bank’s unexpected policy change ruining the global investment mood. That is why the forint broke even the 385 HUF/EUR and the 350 HUF/USD exchange rate. Currently, those rates are 384.4 and 349.oo
Forint concludes a week of constant weakening
This week marked a 1.8 pc fall against the euro and 2.9 pc against the USD. Meanwhile, its regional competitors performed much better and forint lost 2.9 pc of their value against the Polish zloty and 2.6 pc against the Czech koruna. That means an 8-month-long low against the Polish currency. In the first phase of the week, the reasons were internal. The Hungarian national bank decided to maintain the base interest rate but narrowed the interest corridor further. The upper band lowered by 100 basis points to 17.5 pc. In the second part, the aforementioned external factors contributed to the forint’s plummet.
Markets now wait for the Polish CPI data next Monday and the Czech central bank’s interest rate decision next weekend. Those may further decrease the value of the forint. Interestingly, the Czech national bank’s base interest rate at 7 pc. Meanwhile, that rate is 13 pc in Hungary, the highest in the EU. The national bank will not decrease it in the short run because that is the only barrier between the forint’s drastic weakening and today’s exchange rate.
Read HERE about the Hungarian finance minister’s thoughts about introducing the euro. In THIS article we tried to sum up the reaons behind the forint’s weakening.
Wizz Air flight makes emergency landing in Budapest – UPDATE
A Wizz Air flight from Greece to Poland made an unscheduled landing in Budapest on Monday afternoon, Budapest Airport said in a statement.
The flight from Corfu to Katowice landed in Budapest after an unusual smell was detected on the plane, the statement said.
The Wizz Air aircraft landed safely at Liszt Ferenc International Airport, and the 184 passengers on board disembarked and were asked to wait at the airport until further notice.
As we wrote yesterday, chaos was at Budapest Airport, passengers waited hours for Wizz Air.
UPDATE
Wizz Air statement:
“Wizz Air’s relief flight will soon depart from Budapest to Katowice with passengers. The cause of the strange smell on board the original flight is still under investigation. Wizz Air has always put the safety of its passengers first, and our colleagues have followed the strictest protocol in this case.”
Countries bordering Ukraine reject grain imports
Ukraine’s neighbours find unacceptable the 15 September deadline to lift a ban on grain imports from that country, as defined by the European Union, the Hungarian agriculture minister said in Warsaw on Wednesday.
Following talks with his counterparts from Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia, István Nagy told a press conference that participants in the conference had signed an agreement aimed at further cooperation “over Ukrainian grain”.
According to Nagy, unless the EU postpones the deadline for lifting the ban until at least 31 December, the Hungarian government “will use every facility to protect Hungarian farmers“.
The five countries will work to develop “joint European solidarity” to ensure that products from Ukraine reach third countries “where needy residents are very much looking forward to receiving those goods”, Nagy said. He insisted that the joint action was “not targeted against Ukraine or its farmers” but aimed “to protect our own producers”.
Nagy said it was important to eliminate disruptions in shipping via “solidarity corridors”, adding that “the grain must not remain stuck in countries bordering Ukraine as a result of the high transportation cost on land”.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who also attended the talks, said Poland would not open up its borders for Ukrainian grain imports on 15 September, but would continue facilitating only the transit of those products through the country. “Either the European Commission elaborates rules to extend the ban or we will do it, either unilaterally or in cooperation with other countries … we will protect Polish farmers,” he said.
Hungarian minister: What we see is the makings of a European empire
Europe’s future depends on increasing democratic control over institutions of the European Union, Judit Varga, the justice minister, told a conference on Thursday.
In her opening address to the international conference marking the 30th anniversary of the Maastricht Treaty, Varga assessed to what extent the goals of the treaty had been met.
While the treaty was not only aimed at greater integration but maintaining subsidiarity, “what we see now is that crucial decisions are made that neglect the position of communities or even nations by hiding behind the concept of greater integration,” the minister said.
As examples, she mentioned the EU’s recent proposal on distributing migrants, arguing that it overlooked a Hungarian referendum in which voters rejected such mechanisms, the EU withholding funds from Hungary and Poland over “differences of political opinion”, and the European citizens’ initiative launched to protect European minorities, which the European Commission refused to put on its agenda.
“What we see is the makings of a European empire, jeopardising national identities and traditions, and increasingly endangering the earlier concept of Europe, since this could compromise the ability of member states to promote their own interests,” she said.
Whether European integration should be deepened or eased should be determined by member states representing the majority of citizens rather than a body removed from them, the minister said, adding that integration should be encouraged only in those areas where “real value-added can be created for members”.
Varga said the biggest challenge for Europe in the near future was whether the practice of the European Parliament and Commission of putting political pressure on individual member states could be pushed back democratically.
Meanwhile, Varga said the Hungarian EU presidency in 2024 would put issues around demography on its agenda, and convince the European Commission that those issues could be resolved “through family policies promoting child birth rather than through immigration”.
The Hungarian government “does not wish to force its family policy on other members, but expects the EU to accept it as one possible approach and to respect this,” she added.
The EU is working to “create a rootless European citizen without regard to each country’s socio-cultural characteristics”, as opposed to the Maastricht Treaty, which suggests that cross-border freedoms and rights “can only complement rather than replace the legal practice of member states,” the minister said.
“Europe must not be painted monochrome; its traditional diversity should be preserved,” she said.
Budapest beats surprising places on the list of most liveable cities
The list of the world’s most liveable cities has been compiled once again. Unsurprisingly, Vienna has taken the top spot, as usual. The Economist Intelligence Unit has ranked the world’s cities according to health care, education, public safety, infrastructure and the environment.
The most liveable cities
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the quality of its cultural facilities, excellent infrastructure and good public safety have once again made Vienna the most liveable city in the world, as in the previous year, hvg.hu writes. As in last year’s survey, Copenhagen came second, Melbourne third and Sydney fourth.
The top 10 are Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary in Canada, followed by Zurich, Geneva and Osaka in Switzerland and Geneva and Osaka in Japan. Among Eastern European cities, Budapest is in the second section behind the leaders, just like last year.
Budapest overtakes Prague, Warsaw and Bratislava
In the 100-point ranking, Budapest was placed between 80 and 90. This puts it ahead of the region’s capitals, including Prague, Warsaw and Bratislava. In addition to livability, the Economist Intelligence Unit also looked at the most unlivable cities, with war-torn Kyiv ranked in the bottom ten.
Hungary wants Brussels to clarify need for more money from member states
Hungary wants the European Commission to clarify why member states are being asked to make more financial contributions to Ukraine, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday.
Responding to a European Commission proposal for member states to contribute another EUR 50 billion in support for Ukraine, Gergely Gulyás told a regular government press briefing that the government wanted to know whether the EC had reviewed why it had exceeded its planned spending and what sort of resources it had utilised differently than originally planned.
The additional contribution is especially “comical” in the case of member states that have yet to receive their share of funds from the new seven-year budget, such as Hungary and Poland, Gulyás said.
Asked if he believed that the reason why Brussels was not approving the funds for Hungary was because it had promised that money to Ukraine, Gulyás said the “cabinet can imagine anything given the commission’s political resistance against Hungary“.
Hungarian government rejects any migrant quotas
“We reject all kinds of migrant quotas,” the head of the Prime Minister’s Office told a regular press briefing on Thursday.
Gergely Gulyás, answering a question, said this approach was a “political obligation” towards voters, since “unlike other EU members, the Hungarian government asked voters if they wanted to see migration, distribution mechanisms or accommodation of migrants”.
Some 3.4 million people “clearly said they did not want to make Hungary a migrant destination in any way,” Gulyás insisted . “This is an order for the government to be met in all circumstances,” he added.
Fidesz official: Hungary ‘stands by Polish friends’ in CoE
Hungary “stands by our Polish friends” in the Council of Europe and “rejects baseless attacks” against Poland, Pál Zsigmond Barna, a Fidesz member of the Strasbourg parliamentary body said at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
He noted that the Sejm, Poland’s lower house, passed a resolution on Thursday rejecting the draft EU law on migrant quotas, and in his speech he decried the “political attack” against the “democratically elected conservative government of Poland”.
Poland and Hungary, he said, “are discriminated against” because of their conservative, Christian-democratic governments.
“I reject the constant attacks against Poland and demand greater respect for Polish voters,” Zsigmond Barna said, adding that the Hungarian and Polish opposition, “hiding behind European institutions, are baselessly attacking their own country on ideological grounds”.
European institutions, the Fidesz politican insisted, must be “impartial and unbiased”.
It was no coincidence, he added, that Poland was attacked after Poland and Hungary voted against the EU law on the relocation of migrants.
Fidesz: Attacks on Poland are constant
“I reject the constant attacks against Poland and demand more respect for Polish voters,” Balázs Hidvéghi, MEP of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz said in a plenary session of the European Parliament on the rule of law in Poland, on Wednesday.
The MEP spoke Polish in the first part of his address and said “the Polish are a proud, confident, and successful nation, who can walk its own way without constant lecturing from the West.”
Hidvéghi suggested that MEPs of Poland’s Civic Platform were behind recent “attacks” and said “you are mistaken when you think that if you cannot win elections at home … here in Strasbourg and Brussels you can attack your own country and countrymen in cooperation with all kinds of radical leftists.”
He called on the Polish opposition to “stop attacking your own countrymen … it is not right!”
Hungary, Poland and Czechia will cooperate to defend Slovak airspace
The member states of the Visegrad Group are cooperating in a close alliance, the Hungarian defence minister said at a meeting of the group’s defence ministers in Slovakia on Monday, where they signed an agreement on policing airspace.
Under the agreement, Hungary, Poland and Czechia will cooperate to defend Slovak airspace until the end of 2024, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said.
A ministry statement quoted Szalay-Bobrovniczky as saying that the agreement was a sign that the Visegrad Group “is alive and well, and able and ready to continue working for the region’s security and welfare” at a time when many augur its demise.
The war in a neighbouring country, which has hit the region harder than others, makes cooperation all the more important, he said. On the first day of the meeting, a state secretary of Germany, an important ally, also joined the talks to review the most pressing defence issues, he said.
Boosting defence capacities is in the joint interest of V4 member states, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said. They regularly consult on NATO’s measures to strengthen its eastern flank, a process in which the V4 has an important role, he said. Another important project “is the regular deployment of the V4 EU Battlegroup, which has been on standby in the first half of 2023 for the third time,” he said.
The ministers also discussed the impact of the war on regional security, and the group’s opportunities to support Ukraine.
Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that while Hungary was doing its utmost to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, the country, NATO and EU all had a vested interest in brokering peace. Hungary continues to refuse to provide lethal aid to Ukraine, he said.
While the Visegrad countries have differing views on the road to peace, “dialogue and cooperation are ongoing on pragmatic policy issues”, he said.
Czechia will take over the rotating presidency of the group on July 1.
As we wrote today, Polish general would support Hungary’s exclusion from NATO, details HERE.
Polish general would support Hungary’s exclusion from NATO
In a recent interview, Waldemar Skrzypczak, the 4th commander of the Multinational Divison Central-South, was asked about essential matters. The Polish general thinks that PM Orbán has to make a decision soon or Hungary will be excluded from NATO.
According to Index, Waldemar Skrzypczak discussed important matters in an interview with Ukrinform about NATO’s safety guarantee regarding Ukraine. Furthermore, the Polish general thinks that an airspace closure could solve many problems.
Airspace Closure
An airspace closure would mean that aircraft are prohibited from entering or flying over the area. Waldemar Skrzypczak says:
“In this case, Russia cannot launch missiles against Ukraine and its planes cannot fly there. If Russia were to ignore this, NATO would have to ensure the safety of Ukraine’s airspace by sending its air force to Ukraine to protect Ukrainian skies. The Alliance has the capability to guarantee this.”
In addition to that, ensuring the safety of the Black Sea is also an important step. According to the Polish general, it is essential to ensure the effectiveness of the Ukrainian economy. Thus, providing safe waters and opening Ukrainian ports should be next on the agenda.
A Clear Message to Russia
Skrzypczak emphasises the importance of sending a clear message to Russia. If Russia continues its aggression in the area, NATO should send help. According to the general, the Alliance has to guarantee the safety of the country and its nation, since safety is the base of the reconstruction of the country and economic growth.
Hungary in NATO
Hungary has been a member of NATO since 1991. Will this change now? Skrzypczak said that Hungary was given plenty of time to come to its senses:
If Hungary is taking Putin’s side, it should be shown the yellow card and told that if it does not change its position, it will be excluded from NATO.
The Polish general is accusing Hungary of “terrorising” and “blackmailing” NATO and the whole Alliance. He says:
“If Viktor Orbán wants to continue blackmailing NATO, Hungary must be excluded from the alliance.”
The general thinks that PM Orbán’s position is harmful to the unity of NATO. Therefore, Hungary has to make it clear if it is standing with or against the Alliance. There is no place for countries supporting both sides in the Alliance.
Hungary’s Support Towards Ukraine
Ever since the outbreak of the Russian conflict in Ukraine, Hungary has shown great support towards Ukrainians. Refugees were welcomed in Hungary, as well as helped in entering the country via buses or trains. Recently, Hungary has sent aid to the flooded Ukranian region, which you can read more about HERE.
Orbán: European politics are full of ‘blah-blah’
European politics need people “who want something, who still have the energy, dedication and passion”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said after talks with Santiago Abascal, the leader of Spain’s Vox party, in Budapest on Friday.
While there is an increasing amount of “blah-blah” in European politics, statements repeated over and over again but followed by no action, Europe is increasingly losing its competetiveness, Orbán said.
Those who think along similar lines must work together; the cooperation between Hungary’s ruling Fidesz and Vox had been confirmed at the talks with Abascal, he added.
“We would like to see a right-wing turn in Europe, too,” he said.
Abascal reiterated the need for cooperation between those that fight for a much stronger Europe.
He said he deeply condemned the “persecution and blackmail” that Brussels employed against Hungary.
“Ideological discrimination is the real danger to European unity,” he said. It could also create a precedent because currently Hungary and Poland are in focus but Brussels bureaucrats could target any other country in the next moment, he added.
Shame: Hungary has the strongest antisemitism in Europe
Bad news came out about Poland and Hungary’s antisemite sentiments. According to a recent survey of ten European countries, more than a third of the population in Hungary and Poland hold explicitly anti-Jewish views.
According to a survey by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in ten European countries, a significant percentage of the population agrees with certain anti-Semitic views and stereotypes, The Jerusalem Post reports. The ADL poll ran from November last year to January this year. It covered Belgium, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, Germany, Russia, Spain and Ukraine, rtl.hu writes.
The questions that helped determine the populations’ antisemitism
The questions covered eleven commonly held anti-Jewish views, such as the following:
- Jews have too much power in business.
- Jews are the cause of most wars in the world.
- Jews are more loyal to Israel than to their homeland.
Respondents were asked to indicate their level of agreement with statements such as the above. If someone agreed to some extent with at least six of the 11 statements, they were classified as holding antisemitic views.
According to the survey, 37 percent of the population in Hungary hold anti-Semitic views.
What about the rest of the countries examined?
This figure is 35 percent in Poland, 29 percent in Ukraine, 26 percent in Russia and Spain. It is 24 percent in Belgium, 17 percent in France, 12 percent in Germany and 10 percent in the UK. According to the ADL, the Netherlands has the lowest level of antisemitism at just 8 percent.
The survey data show that while the proportion of people who hold antisemitic views is relatively high in Poland and Ukraine, around one third, the situation has improved since the last survey in 2019. Antisemitism fell from 48 to 35 percent in Poland and from 46 to 29 percent in Ukraine. In Hungary, antisemitism has fallen by a smaller amount, from 42 to 37 percent. Thus, the five-percent drop has seen Hungary jump to the top.
Tunisian man smuggled migrants to Hungary using inflatable boat
Charges have been raised against a Tunisian man living in Poland who was smuggling migrants to Hungary partly by boat on the Mura river with the help of accomplices, the deputy spokesperson of the Zala County prosecutor’s office said on Friday.
Judit Jánky said that the man had been working with an Iraqi citizen also living in Poland to arrange the transportation of a large number of migrants to the territory of the European Union between June and September 2020. The migrants who had no entry documents or residence permit were taken on an inflatable boat from Croatia to Hungary on the Mura river and then from Hungary transported to Slovenia and Austria, she added.
The Nagykanizsa district prosecutor’s office raised charges against the Tunisian man for human smuggling committed in a criminal gang and proposed a prison sentence and expulsion from Hungary.
Flights from Budapest for the summer for pennies
Despite it already being the middle of May, it is still not hopeless to find cheap flights for the summer. Many beautiful places in Europe are waiting for us – and we can get there for relatively low prices.
Even in the middle of May, it’s not impossible to find cheap low-cost summer tickets, Pénzcentrum writes. Relatively cheap tickets to Milan, Bologna, Venice, Zadar or Rimini are still available at low-cost airlines.
Timing makes a big difference when it comes to buying flight tickets. According to some travel advisers, the sooner the better; however, this is not always the case. Dynamic pricing, or demand-based pricing, is a sophisticated pricing strategy. It means that the price is reviewed and fine-tuned several times a day depending on the supply and demand situation, Pénzcentrum explains. It is now used in an increasing number of places, even hotels.
This is why it is not impossible to find cheap low-cost tickets for the summer, even in mid-May. Utazómajom has collected 10 such tickets for under HUF 20,000 (EUR 53.34). It’s important to know that the lowest fare only includes a carry-on bag of the dimensions listed on the particular airline’s website.
10 cheap European flights for the summer
Here are the 10 flights for this summer for under HUF 20,000:
- 7 days PoznaÅ„, Poland: 7-13 June, Ryanair – HUF 10,516 (EUR 28)
- 5 days Warsaw, Poland: 7-11 June, Ryanair+Wizz Air – HUF 15,955 (EUR 42,48)
- 7 days T̢rgu Mures, Romania: 16-22 June, Wizz Air РHUF 14,443 (EUR 38.46)
- 8 days Milan (MXP), Italy: 30 May – 6 June, Wizz Air – HUF 14,682 (EUR 39.10)
- 8 days Nuremberg, Germany: 6-13 June, Ryanair – HUF 13,965 (EUR 37.19)
- 8 days Bologna, Italy: 8-15 June, Ryanair – HUF 13,931 (EUR 37.10)
- 8 days Venice, Italy: 20-27 May, Ryanair – HUF 14,374 (EUR 38.28)
- 8 days Zadar, Croatia: 14-21 June, Ryanair – HUF 17,642 (EUR 46.98)
- 8 days Rimini, Italy: 27 May – 3 June, Ryanair – HUF 18,478 (EUR 49.28)
- 8 days Rome, Italy: 30 May – 6 June, Ryanair – HUF 19,666 (EUR 52.37)
Budapest Airport to develop Eastern connections instead of Transatlantic
A direct flight from Ningbo, a Chinese city of almost 10 million people less than 200 kilometres from Shanghai, will soon be available to Budapest, Budflyer, an aviation news blog, reports based on Chinese newspapers.
There have been many business and economic events between Ningbo and Hungary in the recent past. The city’s trade mission was the first to launch charter flights to Budapest during the waning days of the Covid-19 epidemic, in order to establish and strengthen trade links between important companies in China and the Central and Eastern European region, Budflyer writes.
If the flight is launched, Hungary will be the first European link for the airport.
Isolated Hungary? President Novák in cozy chats with Meloni, Macron, other EU leaders – PHOTOS
Hungarian President Katalin Novák said in Reykjavik on Wednesday that as a Christian conservative politician she considered it the most important task to seek out the possibility of bringing about a fair peace to end the war in Ukraine.
Addressing a meeting of the Council of Europe, Novák said if all conditions of a just peace were met that would clear the path not only for a ceasefire but reconciliation under an enduring peace. The heads of state and government of the Council of Europe have an extraordinary responsibility in advancing and ensuring peace for the citizens of their countries, she said and welcomed that an increasing number of leaders supported a fair and just peace which she said was “the universal desire of all our citizens”. The Council of Europe is key in promoting and protecting human rights, and has done much for democracy and fundamental freedom rights, she said.
President Novák: “our peaceful lifestyle is under attack”
“This is the right time and place to send a firm message, that of the right to peace,” she said. At the same time, it is a priority that the fight for freedom does not curb the rights of minorities, she said. “Respect for minorities’ rights is one of the foundations of European cooperation, and cannot be set aside,” she said. The summit should have been an opportunity to celebrate, she said: “Our economies have never been this advanced, we have left the coronavirus pandemic behind, we learnt to bolster common values and to handle cultural, historic and linguistic differences…”. At the same time, Europe is facing grave challenges: “there is a war in continental Europe and our peaceful lifestyle is under attack,” she said.
Early morning training with Polish President Duda. Hungarian-Polish friendship unchanged?
With the Ukrainian PM:
“Russia’s mad decision to attack Ukraine, a neighbour of Hungary, has upended our world,” she said. Aggression and attack on a sovereign state is unacceptable, she said. War crimes must be investigated and the perpetrators held to account, she added. On the sidelines of the summit, Novák had talks with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Moldavian President Maia Sandu, as well as Ukrainian PM Denys Smyhal.
With Giorgia Meloni:
And President Macron: