survey

Survey: Majority of Europeans concerned about illegal migration

refugees_from_ukraine_in_budapest_bok_centre

Illegal migration remains a concern for a majority of Europeans, according a survey by the Századvég Foundation published on Wednesday.

Fully 78 percent of the survey’s respondents said they found the influx of illegal migrants into Europe concerning, with 56 percent saying Europe’s Christian culture and traditions should be preserved, Századvég said.

Albania was the only country surveyed where those concerned about illegal migration were not the majority (49 percent). Illegal migration was even a concern for most of the respondents in “traditionally pro-migration countries” and those that apply a humanitarian approach to the issue, like Sweden (78 percent), Germany (75 percent), France (73 percent) and the Netherlands (68 percent), they said.

A majority of Europeans also say that the continent should preserve its Christian culture and traditions, Századvég said.

This view is most common in the former socialist countries (65 percent), but is also agreed on by 54 percent of respondents in the founding members of the European Union.

Of the 38 countries surveyed, those who favoured preserving European Christian culture were in the minority in the Balkan states, Turkey, Finland, the Netherlands, Ireland and Spain.

Overall 57.4 percent of respondents favoured preserving Christian culture, while 33.4 percent said Europe should go in a secular direction, Századvég said.

In addition to the EU member states, Századvég’s Project Europe research covered the United Kingdom, the Balkans and Turkey.

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Read alsoMajority of Hungarians say EU should seek cooperation, compromise

Majority of Hungarians say EU should seek cooperation, compromise

eu hungary flag

Six out of every ten Hungarians say that Brussels should seek cooperation and compromise, and it has no right to withhold the payment of European Union resources allocated for member states, the Századvég Foundation said on Tuesday.

The think-tank’s latest survey involved interviewing 1,000 people in early January to assess public opinion about the payment of cohesion and recovery funds “rightfully due” to Hungary, the statement said.

The survey showed that 60 percent of Hungarians believe the EU is an alliance of free and equal countries, and “Brussels has no right to withhold financial resources, even partially, but should seek compromise”.

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Government think-tank: Budapest residents reject sanctions

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Fully 85 percent of Budapest residents want peace to be forged between Russia and Ukraine, while 63 percent see sanctions on Russia as excessive or sufficient already, the Századvég Foundation said on Friday, revealing its latest survey. It is important to note that Századvég Foundation is entirely pro-government. Please bear this in mind when looking at the results of the survey.

Fully 78 percent expressed opposition to the European Union and its member states buying weapons for Ukraine, and 76 percent objected to the EU training Ukrainian soldiers.

The think-tank said Gergely Karácsony, the mayor of Budapest, had “created the impression” that the views of Budapest residents were at odds with the pro-peace government in respect of the war.

During an official visit to Kyiv, Karácsony said: “The Hungarian people are not synonymous with the Hungarian government” and “the majority of the people of Budapest understand exactly what is happening in Ukraine,” the think-tank added.

Budapest citizens “against sanctions”

Such comments prompted Századvég to conduct a survey of Budapest adults on issues related to the war in Ukraine in December, its statement said. Accordingly, there is a dim view of top politicians who back the continuation of the war, it said.

Meanwhile, 82 percent of respondents in the capital had a negative view of Russian President Vladimir Putin, while 57 percent saw US President Joe Biden in a bad light. Fully 52 percent had an unfavourable view of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Some 65 percent of Budapest residents said they were against Hungarian taxpayers’ money being used to finance Ukraine and 66 percent said that Brussels was acting in a unfair manner holding back some of the EU funds allocated for Hungary and Poland, Századvég said.

It added that some 56 percent of Budapest residents expressed agreement with the way that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had handled the situation developed as a result of the Russian-Ukraine crisis.

Hungarians against withholding of EU funds

Fully 74 percent of Hungarians object to the EU withholding funds from Hungary, the Századvég Foundation said on Saturday. The think-tank’s latest survey also shows that 60 percent are of the view that the EU is not even making an attempt to strike a compromise or reach an agreement with the government to unlock the funding, but wants to punish Hungary instead.

Regarding perceptions of double standards in the European Union, 64 percent of respondents thought the EU applied different yardsticks to Hungary compared with other member states, Századvég said in an report on its survey.

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Survey: Majority of Hungarians consider EU leaders corrupt

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Fully 54 percent of respondents in a recent Nézőpont survey considered the leaders of the European Union corrupt, while 28 percent held the opposite view.

Fully 70 percent of supporters of the ruling parties had a negative opinion of the EU’s leadership in view of the recent corruption scandal, while only 14 percent did not regard it as corrupt on balance, Nezopont said on Friday. On the other hand, 52 percent of opposition respondents said they did not believe that European leaders could be corrupt, while 31 percent of respondents in that group thought “charges of corruption were justified”.

Nézőpont phone survey of 1,000 voting-age adults was carried out from Jan. 9 to 11.

PM Viktor Orbán
Read also PM Orbán wants to drain the swamp in Brussels

PM Orbán is the fourth least trusted leader by Ukrainians

Viktor Orbán Huxit EU

69 percent of Ukrainians do not trust the Hungarian prime minister. There are only three leaders less trustworthy than Viktor Orbán, according to Ukrainians.

The survey, commissioned by the Kyiv-based Center for New Europe, was conducted between 16 and 25 December 2022. The telephone survey was conducted among 1,553 people.

According to the survey, the most trusted foreign president is Andrzej Duda, the Polish president. 87 percent of Ukrainians gave him a positive rating. US President Joe Biden (79 percent) was in second place, while European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen (73 percent) was third. Ukrainians also gave a positive rating to Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin received the most negative votes with 97 percent negative. Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka (94 percent) came second, while Chinese leader Xi Jinping (73 percent) was the third on the podium. The Hungarian Prime Minister came in fourth with 69 percent. The popularity of Viktor Orbán has declined sharply in recent times, with only 25 percent of voters having a negative opinion of him a year earlier, writes hvg.hu.

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Government-close think-tank: Europeans in trouble heating their homes, Hungarians helped by government

Central heating Hungary

On average every fourth household in the European Union faces difficulties with heating and unpaid utility bills, while Hungary is ranked second in the EU in the former category and third in the latter thanks to the government’s scheme capping household energy prices, according to a survey published by the Századvég Foundation on Friday.

Soaring energy prices resulting from the growing tension in trade between Russia and Europe have posed serious challenges in EU countries, Századvég said, citing data from its Europe-wide survey conducted from Oct. 13 to Dec. 7 as well as Eurostat figures. Countries have implemented various measures to prevent a price explosion in retail tariffs but their effectiveness varies greatly, it added.

According to Századvég, Hungary’s price-cap scheme, involving centrally regulated tariffs, offers the greatest protection to consumers. The company’s survey dubbed Europe Project showed that 26 percent of Europeans, or over 100 million people, were unable to properly heat their homes.

The most difficult situation was reported in Greece where 56 percent of respondents said they were unable to heat properly their homes, followed by Portugal and France, with 34 percent in both countries stating the same, Szazadveg said. The least affected countries were Finland (10 percent), Hungary with 14 percent and Austria and Denmark, both 14 percent, it added.

Every fourth respondent in the European survey said that at least once in the past year they had been unable to pay their bills in time due to financial problems.

The situation was the most serious in Greece, with 51 percent of the public affected, followed by Cyprus (37 percent), and Ireland and Bulgaria (35 percent in both countries), Szazadveg said. The lowest figures were 14 percent reported in Austria, 16 percent in the Czech Republic and 18 percent in Hungary, it added.

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Government-close think-tank: trend change on European attitudes towards nuclear energy

Paks nuclear power plant

Opposition to nuclear technology has fallen significantly in the European Union in light of the ongoing energy crisis, according a survey by the government-close Századvég Foundation published on Wednesday.

Whereas in the autumn of 2021, 26 percent of Europeans had opposed the use of nuclear energy, their share dropped to 15 percent by autumn 2022, the think-tank said. Following a “series of warnings” by professional organisations, the energy crisis proved that Europe needs nuclear power plants capable of providing cheap energy that is low on harmful emissions, Századvég said in a statement.

“But a section of the Western political elite continues to stick to an ideology-driven anti-nuclear energy stance, urging the shutdown of existing power plants and blocking investments in new ones,” it added. However, support for nuclear energy among the European public has grown significantly in the past year, they said. Fully 40 percent of Europeans now say the continent should use nuclear technology to produce a considerable amount or a lot of energy, compared with 26 percent a year ago. The share of those who say Europe should not produce too much or should only produce a small amount of nuclear energy is unchanged at 35 percent, they said. Meanwhile, the share of those who completely oppose nuclear energy has fallen to 15 percent from 26 percent, Századvég said.

The think-tank pointed out that support for and opposition to nuclear power has flipped completely over the last six years. Whereas in 2016, 41 percent of Europeans had been against nuclear technology and 15 percent in favour of it, those supporting nuclear energy now represent 40 percent of the European public, while the share of those who oppose it has dropped to 15 percent.

Though support for nuclear energy varies widely among EU countries, views appear to be converging, with drastic changes seen in member states that oppose nuclear power, Századvég said.

Support for the use of a lot of nuclear energy is highest in Czechia (32 percent), followed by Bulgaria (30 percent) and France (27 percent). Századvég noted that as much as 68 percent of Hungarians supported both options that Europe should use a considerable amount or a lot of nuclear energy.

Századvég ‘s survey found that opposition to nuclear energy in member states that are generally against the use of this energy source had dropped over the past year. In Austria, it fell to 47 percent from 57 percent, in Cyprus to 37 percent from 41 percent, in Greece to 30 percent from 45 percent and in Portugal to 29 percent from 46 percent.

Meanwhile, in Latvia, the share of those who said Europe should not use nuclear energy at all has fallen from 34 percent to 12 percent over the past year.

In addition to the EU member states, the Project Europe research covered the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland, Moldova, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria and Bosnia-Herzegovina, with 38,000 randomly selected adults interviewed by phone between Oct. 13 and Dec. 7.

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New research: Budapest among the world’s TOP 10 most beautiful cities

Budapest night Chain Bridge

Budapest is unquestionably one of the most beautiful cities in the world. That is what all tourists agree on after visiting the Hungarian capital. It amazes everyone with its enticing mix of rich history, magnificent panoramas, buzzing nightlife, historic baths and gastronomy, which you can find nowhere else in the world. Now, new research found that Budapest is among the top 10 most beautiful cities.

According to the World of Statistics, Hungary’s impressive capital is the seventh most beautiful city in the world. Budapest precedes other stunning cities such as Vienna (Austria), Bordeaux (France), and even Milan in Italy. The brand new list was already checked by more than 2.5 million users, so we hope that more will decide to visit us.

But what is the methodology behind that result?

You may find the answer in the mathematical analysis of the Online Mortgage Advisor. They measure the beauty of a city’s buildings by scanning Google Street View for front-facing photos of thousands of iconic buildings and streets lined with homes.

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PHOTOS, VIDEO: The first Hungarian Danube Lights Festival in Budapest

They plot points at the corners of every building in their sample of imagery and calculate the proportion of the longest and shortest lengths of its dimensions. They compare those proportions to the golden ratio (1:1.618) to see how well they correspond.

What is the golden ratio and how can it be applied to buildings? The golden ratio (1:1.618) reflects a set of proportions that have intrigued and been studied by mathematicians for millennia. You can find many examples of the golden ratio occurring in nature, for instance, in the measurements of the human body, in flowers, and even in DNA, as they wrote on their website.

And that is how they ranked Budapest as the seventh most beautiful city in the world.

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>World’s 10 most beautiful cities (beauty score):<br><br>🇮🇹 Venice: 83.3%<br>🇮🇹 Rome: 82.0%<br>🇪🇸 Barcelona: 81.9%<br>🇨🇿 Prague: 78.7%<br>🇺🇸 New York: 77.7%<br>🇬🇷 Athens: 77.5%<br>🇭🇺 Budapest: 75.9%<br>🇦🇹 Vienna: 75.8%<br>🇫🇷 Bordeaux: 75.3%<br>🇮🇹 Milan: 75.1%</p>&mdash; World of Statistics (@stats_feed) <a href=”https://twitter.com/stats_feed/status/1607394825979977728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>December 26, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

Budapest Airport
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36 countries rated 2022 and shared their outlook for the future, shocking Hungarian results

1,848-meter long Hungarian national flag in Budapest

Hungarians have a gloomier outlook now than they did during the pandemic, while the rest of the world rated 2022 as better than the previous one, according to an Ipsos survey involving 36 countries. Locals fear a global recession.

Ipsos conducted an online poll in 36 countries across five continents, asking people to rate 2022 and share their general outlook for the new year, index.hu reported.

Apparently, Saudi Arabia was the most optimistic country, with only 44 percent of its citizens expressing pessimistic sentiments regarding the current year. Interestingly, most people felt less negative about the happenings of 2022. Despite that, Hungarians were among the most hopeless with 66 percent. Turks rated their circumstances as the worst while Israelis were the most content with the direction in which they are headed.

87 percent of Hungarians polled reckoned that 2022 only brought bad things for their country, while this rate was only 73 percent on the global average. 8 percent more Hungarians rated the current year as more misfortunate than in last year’s survey. The average pessimism among residents in other countries fell by 4 percent compared to last year.

Disappointing outlook for the future

The survey also looked at the general public’s outlook for 2023, with 79 percent of respondents expecting inflation and price rises to exceed the current rate. The majority of people shared doubts that wage rises would ever match inflation. 68 percent expected higher unemployment, half of those surveyed were concerned about a possible stock market crash, while some did not even rule out the likelihood that their country would soon need help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Only 40 percent believed that the war in Ukraine would end in 2023, with Indians being the most confident and the Japanese the most pessimistic. Hungarians were in the middle with 36 percent. Related to this issue, 54 percent of all respondents feared a possible nuclear attack, which rate was 20 percent higher compared to the year when the war broke out.

In regard to climate change, 83 percent of Indonesians expect extreme weather events, while Saudi Arabians are the least worried about that matter.

Only 65 percent of Hungarians fear worsening climate conditions, which leaves us in the middle of the scale.

Regarding the coronavirus, 60 percent of respondents do not expect further restrictions. 56 percent reckon that more and more people will live in the online world, while 37 percent see no realistic chance of a four-day working week.

When asked whether people would be more tolerant in the coming year, 34 percent of the respondents gave a positive answer. Only 14 percent of Hungarians and 12 percent of Japanese citizens viewed the matter negatively. Taking all questions into consideration, Hungary had the highest number of ‘no’ responses, a total of 77 percent.

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Pro-govt survey: Europeans want peace, not sanctions

ukraine war

Europeans want peace, not sanctions, according to a survey by the pro-government Századvég Institute published on Tuesday, which found that Europeans expect leaders to try to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine and a peace agreement as swiftly as possible.

The think-tank said the “Western political elite” had concentrated more on punishing Russia than on fostering peace talks, adding that EU sanctions and foreign policy had stalled the possibility of securing peace between Ukraine and Russia.

In Hungary 62 percent of respondents to Századvég’s survey found the war “highly concerning”, while 31 percent found it unsettling, while in Germany the corresponding ratios were 51 percent and 30 percent.

The only EU member state where a majority did not find the war to be quite so worrying was Slovakia, (48 percent and 41 percent, respectively). One explanation for this is that Slovaks may be more preoccupied with domestic problems, the think-tank said.

Fully 82 percent of respondents to the Europe-wide survey were in favour of prioritising peace and forcing Russia and Ukraine to negotiate an end to the war.

Divisions are apparent along the lines of states which are pro-sanctions and anti-sanctions/pro-peace, Századvég said.

There is a preponderance of southern states whose respondents were in favour of forcing negotiations (91 percent in Cyprus, 89 percent in Portugal and Greece) than rejecting sanctions. In Hungary, the corresponding ratio is 88 percent, the think-tank said.

The think-tank said that whereas in all countries surveyed there was a majority for swift peace talks, “this proportion is lower in the pro-sanctions member states”.

Fully 42 percent of Estonians, 36 percent of Latvians, 31 percent of Poles, and 29 percent of Lithuanians do not agree with forcing peace talks.

In addition to the EU member states, the research covered the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland, Moldova, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria and Bosnia-Herzegovina, with 38,000 randomly selected adults interviewed by phone between October 13 and December 7.

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Read alsoBudapest is among Europe’s richest cities in cheap antiquities

Survey: majority of Hungarians support sanctions against Russia

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According to the latest Eurobarometer poll, 74 percent of EU citizens approve of the EU’s support for Ukraine following the Russian invasion. The proportion is lower among Hungarians, but still more than half of the population agrees.

Eurobarometer conducted the survey between 12 October and 7 November. 74 percent of EU citizens approved of the European Union’s support for Ukraine following the Russian invasion.

The highest proportions of people in Sweden (97 percent), Finland (95 percent), the Netherlands (93 percent), Portugal (92 percent) and Denmark (92 percent) agreed with the EU’s decisions, Euronews.hu reports.

However, among Hungarians, it was below the EU average, with 59 percent in favour of the EU standing by Ukraine, napi.hu reports.

The survey asked which values the European Parliament should focus on protecting. The most common answer was democracy (36 percent), followed by human rights (29 percent) and freedom of expression and thought (28 percent).

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Budapest is the best Christmas destination!

Advent Bazilika Christmas Fair Budapest

A survey has shown that Hungary’s capital is one of the most popular cities for Christmas. Budapest has the most instagrammable Christmas markets in Europe. In addition, the city was voted the best Christmas destination in a survey.

Budapest Christmas market and Instagram

Photobox is the European leader in photo printing. Photobox has just carried out a survey, ranking European expectations according to several criteria.

The French company analysed the number of images and hashtags of the Christmas market in each city. Based on this, it can be said that the capital of Hungary, is the most Instagrammable place in Europe.

In Budapest, #budapestchristmasmarket received 10,601 hashtags. This is a victory by a huge margin. Poland’s Krakow and Austria’s Innsbruck were also on the podium.

  1. Budapest, Hungary, 10,601 hashtags
  2. Krakow, Poland, 1,647 hashtags
  3. Innsbruck, Austria, 1,622 hashtags
  4. Zurich, Switzerland, 1,375 hashtags
  5. Copenhagen, Denmark, 340 hashtags

The best European city to travel to this Christmas

Photobox also took a look at which cities to visit this Christmas. Amsterdam and our capital came out on top.

Criteria included how many Christmas fairs there are in the city, how many Christmas events there are, and other factors that help to create a Christmas atmosphere.

In Budapest, there are three big Christmas markets, several outdoor ice skating rinks, Christmas lights, several kinds of mulled wine and of course Christmas trees.

Advent Feast at the Basilica Best Christmas Market 9
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Budapest is the world’s top pleasantly surprising tourist city!

Budapest Hungary Chain Bridge Buda Castle

Have you ever heard about the so-called Paris syndrome? It may evolve provided you visit a city, and what you see and experience there is underwhelming compared to your expectations. According to a recent report, on top of that world list is Florida’s Orlando. Surprisingly, on the other end of the list, on top of those cities that pleasantly surprise tourists coming from every corner of the globe is Budapest, Hungary’s marvellous capital. And that is another reason you should come and visit the pearl of the Danube!

According to travel.radicalstorage.com, Paris syndrome is not only the upsetting feeling when a place you visit does not live up to the image you have created prior in your mind but also the physical and mental pain it causes in some sensitive tourists. It also has symptoms including derealisation, anxiety, depersonalisation, dizziness, tachycardia, sweating, vomiting and even hallucinations. If you want to avoid that, the best choice you have is Budapest, a recent study based on the reviews on TripAdvisor found.

They analysed “over 826,000 TripAdvisor reviews, across 100 of the most visited cities in the world, to find out which city is most guilty of not meeting tourists’ expectations and creating the ultimate Paris syndrome environment”, they said on their website.

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Their key findings are interesting.

Orlando is the most underwhelming city in the world despite its Disneyland or maybe because of it. The rate of negative comments on TripAdvisor reaches almost 20 percent in the case of that US city. Interestingly, there are no European cities among the top 10 Paris syndrome places of the world, only metropolises in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and China. The only exception is Johannesburg, in South Africa, standing in sixth place.

However, Budapest is on the other end of the list, being the most overwhelming city in the world, where travellers are most pleasantly surprised by their experience. That feeling does not have a syndrome name yet. Furthermore, “Budapest is considered the most ‘beautiful’ city while Rome has the most ‘must-see’ attractions according to tourists’ reviews”, travel.radicalstorage.com says.

“Budapest, Hungary, was the city that exceeded tourists’ expectations the most, reversing the Paris syndrome effect, with 96.17% of the city’s reviews containing phrases of praise and pleasant surprise. Budapest’s top things to do primarily focus on exploring the city’s stunning architecture and meandering river”, they added.

The second from that end of the list is Brussels, Belgium, while the third is Zurich, Switzerland.

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Hungarians think Ukraine should start peace talks

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Some 70 percent of Hungarians believe that peace talks rather than the continuation of war would serve Ukraine’s interests, think-tank NézÅ‘pont Institute said citing a recent survey on Friday.

Regardless of political affiliation, the majority in all social groups believe that the start of peace talks would serve Ukraine’s interests. A total of 73 percent of pro-government responders and 69 percent of those supporting the opposition said peace talks would serve Ukraine’s interests, while pro-war respondents accounted for 22 percent of government supporters and 16 percent of opposition voters, NézÅ‘pont said.

Some 84 percent of people aged above 70 and 69 percent of those aged 18-29 said peace talks would best serve the country’s interests. Even 69 percent of Budapest residents, who are generally more open to the Brussels mainstream’s position, said peace should be sought. NézÅ‘pont conducted the survey by phoning 1,000 people between November 28 and 30.

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Budapest is among Europe’s richest cities in cheap antiquities

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Many tourists regard travelling to any European capital or city as a perfect opportunity for some treasure or antiquity hunt. Budapest is among Europe’s top ten cities if you want to make good deals in the antiquity market, a new study of confused.com shows.

Budapest is among Europe’s richest cities considering antiquities. The Hungarian capital received 7.02 points out of 10 on the latest relevant survey of confused.com. The rating was compiled considering multiple factors. In one of them, the offer diversity of antiquity shops, Budapest got 4.40 points out of 5.

According to the website, that result is 42 percent better than that of the Slovenian Maribor. Furthermore, there are twice as many antiquity shops in Budapest per 100 thousand people than in Bucharest, Romania’s capital, privatbankar.hu wrote.

The Danish capital, Copenhagen, leads the list of the top antiquity places in Europe with 8.66/10. The second best option is the Latvian capital, Riga, having gotten 8.56/10. That is partly because the Baltic state takes sustainable purchasing more and more seriously, which means reusing old stuff.

The Latvian capital got 31 percent higher results in that factor than Tallinn, the capital of Estonia (3.65/5).

Széchenyi Chain Bridge by night Budapest parliament
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Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Bergen (Norway), Diekirch (Luxemburg), Vilnius (Lithuania), Dublin and Cork in Ireland, and Valletta in Malta also received good evaluations.

Privátbankár says those countries are rich in antiquities for an affordable price where war did not sweep through, causing devastating effects. Or the owner lived in places where they could hide the more valuable items from the invading armies.

Moreover, it mattered much how high the standard of living was in the different countries. In poorer regions, owners were forced to sell their valuables. Furthermore, the clientele also counted.

The list was compiled by an insurance company, which makes it obvious that insuring valuable antiquities is a good business. Jessica Willock, an expert on confused.com, made it clear that we can find purchasable items in several European regions. However, their insurance value may be higher than their price.

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Hungarians reject US interference in domestic affairs

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Fully 76 percent of Hungarians reject US interference in Hungarian domestic affairs, according to a survey published by the Szazadveg Foundation on Friday.

The US embassy recently tweeted a video depicting pro-government Hungarian politicians and pundits in a bad light, Századvég said, adding that US Ambassador David Pressman also conducted “confidential talks” with two justices of the National Judicial Council.

Századvég conducted an opinion poll of 1,000 Hungarians in November. Fully 76 percent of respondents said the US should respect diplomatic norms rather than interfering in the country’s domestic affairs, the think-tank said. Some 18 percent said the active role of the US and criticism of Hungarian domestic affairs, when necessary, was “reasonable”. Fully 65 percent of respondents disagreed with the US embassy expressing its opinion of Hungarian domestic issues in public, while 31 percent approved, Századvég said.

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Another prestigious title for Budapest: one of the best meeting destinations in Europe

Széchenyi Chain Bridge by night Budapest parliament

Hungary was voted one of the best meeting destinations in Europe. Our country improved its position on the basis of the results of seventy-five qualitative indicators.

Hungary has been ranked among the most attractive scientific and business event destinations in Europe, according to the annual MTLG (Meeting Experience Index) methodology, which is the benchmark for the conference industry, turizmusonline.hu reports. In the XL category, Budapest scored 4.55 out of a maximum of 5, according to a newly published report by the international MTLG.

“Budapest achieved a better result this year compared to 2021, thanks to the excellent congress infrastructure and the destination marketing work of the Hungarian & Budapest Convention Bureau,” said Gorazd ÄŒad, co-founder of Conventa, CEO of Toleranca Marketing and Meetings Star project leader.

In 2022, 125 destinations were assessed, including all the top conference and business destinations in New Europe. The systematic, structured and analytical process includes a number of indicators that event organisers consider key.

The concept of New Europe is used to describe a business events sector that has changed its values and objectives post-Covid, underlining that the time of certain old ways of thinking, focused solely on business results, is over.

Christmas_Budapest
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Hungary named one of the world’s best places to retire

budapest danube buda

No matter how much you love your job, most people can’t wait to wave goodbye to office politics, workday stresses and hellish commutes, particularly when the alternative offers endless days of sunshine, delicious cuisine, exploration and adventure. But people are no longer waiting until they get to their late sixties to make the most of life. In recent years the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) has gained real momentum.

According to this approach, extreme saving and investment could mean retiring in your forties or even late thirties. To do so, the formula emphasises saving as much of your income as possible, living exceptionally frugally and paying off all your debt. But once you’ve managed this, where should you live? We’ve rounded up 50 of the best places in the world to retire.

To compile this list, we’ve rated the cost of living, quality of life, ease of getting a visa or residency permit, and restaurant and rent prices. We’ve also taken into consideration good weather, healthcare, hospitality, language barriers and the range of things to do. To make the cut, we’ve been ruthless with ensuring that destinations must offer a good mixture of everything. So, if quality of lifestyle is rocket high but the chances of getting a visa or residency permit are slim, it won’t make the list. Ready to retire early? It’s time to pack those bags.

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budapest bad weather
Budapest by autumn. Photo: pixabay.com

Hungary is seventh on the list

Hungary might not be as cheap as it was a decade ago, but compared to most of Europe the prices are staggeringly low. In fact, according to our index, the cost of eating out in Hungary is the second lowest in Europe. Quality of life is good too (137.15) and it’s relatively easy to get hold of a visa or residency permit. Most retirees choose to live in historic Budapest, around Lake Balaton or in a small charming city like Egér or Pécs. Healthcare is good, but dental care is even better.

Széchenyi Chain Bridge by night Budapest parliament
A night in Budapest. Photo: pixabay

Slovenia is first

Historically, Slovenia has been skipped over in favour of Italy, Austria and Croatia, but in the past few years this fairytale setting has slowly seeped into our consciousness. Now, it’s the best place in the world to retire, and it’s not difficult to see why. Between its endless forests, alpine villages and colourful capital, there’s plenty to keep retirees occupied. Expats can enjoy a relatively low cost of living (47) and a high quality of life(169.04). Visa and residency permit barriers are low too. Plus, English is widely spoken and temperatures are mild, with sunny summers and cosy winters. Pack your bags!

Check out the full list HERE

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