international

February 08, 2010, 10:08 CET

Ministers call for May deadline on NATO command reform

NATO defence ministers asked the alliance's secretary-general to make plans for the reform of NATO command structure within the next three months, Hungary's Defence Minister Imre Szekeres said on Friday. Attending a two-day informal meeting of NATO ministers in Istanbul,... [read complete entry]

January 14, 2010, 10:28 CET

Eastern Partnership, V4 foreign ministers to meet in Budapest

Foreign ministers of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) and Visegrad Four (V4) countries will meet in Budapest on March 2, the foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Wednesday. The EaP consists of the post-Soviet states Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.... [read complete entry]

December 11, 2009, 09:38 CET

Orbán remains a vice president of European People's Party

Main opposition Fidesz party leader Viktor Orban has been re-elected as one of the vice-presidents of the European People's Party (EPP), Peter Szijjarto, head of Orban's office, told MTI on Thursday. As vice-president, Orban will participate in the process of... [read complete entry]

December 09, 2009, 01:08 CET

Can our witch of a Nan back in Nantwich give money to the Gárda?

In an alarming indication of our likely inability to melt into cyberspace if the shit really hits the fan here in Hungary, someone just called us on the telephone, from England, wanting to know if the official ban on the... [read complete entry]

November 27, 2009, 10:16 CET

Current, former finance ministers address conference on Hungary's global role

Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Balazs and one of his predecessors Janos Martonyi spoke about the need to intensify European integration at a conference in Budapest on Thursday. After four and a half centuries, Hungary is now in a position to... [read complete entry]

November 04, 2009, 09:54 CET

Int'l survey shows weak support in Hungary for democracy, free markets

Hungary's support for democracy and capitalism has diminished considerably over the past 18 years, according to a survey by the US-based Pew Global Attitudes Project published in Tuesday's issue of Wall Street Journal Europe. The survey of nine former Eastern... [read complete entry]

October 26, 2009, 10:39 CET

Fidesz foreign affairs chief says US sympathetic over Slovak dispute

The head of parliament's foreign affairs committee told Hungarian journalists in Washington on Friday that the United States was sympathetic to Hungary's stance in respect of Slovakia's language law. Zsolt Nemeth, concluding an official three-day visit, said that he saw... [read complete entry]

October 26, 2009, 10:34 CET

Jobbik signs agreements with other European nationalist groups

Hungary's radical nationalist Jobbik party signed an agreement with four international parties to set up the Alliance of European Nationalist Movements, Jobbik deputy leader Andras Balczo said on Saturday. The agreement has also been signed by the French Front National,... [read complete entry]

August 28, 2009, 09:45 CET

Hungary and Romania to hold fifth joint government session

Hungary and Romania are to hold their fifth joint government session in Bucharest on October 10, Mediafax news agency said on Thursday, citing the Romanian government spokesman. Ioana Muntean said the Romanian government set the date for the session on... [read complete entry]

August 26, 2009, 10:32 CET

Hungarian PM discusses Slovak language law with EP President

Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai on Tuesday made a phone call to European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek to express thanks for his approach to Slovakia's controversial State Language Act, the PM's spokesperson told MTI on Tuesday. Upon his inauguration in... [read complete entry]

August 25, 2009, 11:23 CET

Socialist party challenges EC position on Sólyom row

The spokesman of the European Commission has not interpreted correctly last week's diplomatic incident between Hungary and Slovakia, the parliamentary group leader of the ruling Socialist party said on Tuesday. Speaking in public TV's morning programme "Napkelte" Attila Mesterhazy responded... [read complete entry]

August 25, 2009, 09:33 CET

EU refuses to get involved in Slovak-Hungarian row

The European Commission considers Friday’s Hungarian-Slovak diplomatic incident a bilateral matter, spokesman Michael Mann told a Monday press briefing. The Commission is in no way affected in this matter, he said. Asked whether there is an EU law to govern... [read complete entry]

August 24, 2009, 10:33 CET

Sólyom denounces "inexcusable" step by Slovak authorities

Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom called the Slovak authorities' decision to deny him entry to Slovakia to attend the unveiling ceremony of Saint Stephen's statue in Komarno on Friday as "an unprecedented step, inexplicable and inexcusable in relations between two allied... [read complete entry]

August 24, 2009, 09:42 CET

Merkel thanks Hungary for Pan-European Picnic

Hungary gave wings to Germans and Germany will never forget this, Chancellor Angela Merkel said in expressing gratitude to Hungary for the Pan-European Picnic and the ’breakthrough’ at which hundreds of East Germans fled to Austria on August 19, 1989.... [read complete entry]

August 24, 2009, 08:30 CET

Uproar as Sólyom denied entry to Slovakia

A crowd of some 2-3,000 people that gathered for the unveiling ceremony of a statue of Hungarian King Stephen I in Komarno, Slovakia, booed and whistled when they learnt that Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom would not attend the ceremony because... [read complete entry]

July 01, 2009, 09:47 CET

Freedom House "democracy rating" for Hungary declines

Hungary was graded down in a democracy rating by the independent US-based Freedom House in a report published on Tuesday. The report warns of radicalisation tendencies in Hungarian politics. "Democratic institutions are robust and likely to hold despite reckless party... [read complete entry]

May 04, 2009, 10:00 CET

MDF likens party's policies to those of Britain's Tories

Hungary's Democratic Forum (MDF) and the British Conservatives are similar and are proceeding along a "normal" conservative path, Ibolya David, the MDF leader, told a news conference on Thursday.... [read complete entry]

April 21, 2009, 10:01 CET

Expert says Hungary's tolerance of Holocaust denial flaunts int'l law

Hungary infringes on international law by still lacking legislation to penalise Holocaust denial, international lawyer Laszlo Valki told MTI on Monday.... [read complete entry]

April 16, 2009, 09:19 CET

Foreign press assess new PM

Most foreign press reports depict Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai as a non-political character who hopes to form a technocratic government to lead Hungary out of its dire financial straits.... [read complete entry]

March 27, 2009, 02:19 CET

Does Hungary's Socialists have a PR deal with the UK Guardian?

We get so many emails from readers about perceived weaknesses in the foreign media's coverage of Hungarian politics that we tend not to follow up on them. But earlier this week one tipster put us on a case involving... [read complete entry]

February 20, 2009, 09:19 CET

Sólyom steps up campaign against GM foods

President László Sólyom has written to an informal network of environmentalist heads of state seeking support for Hungary's moratorium on the production and commercial distribution of genetically modified maize in Hungary.... [read complete entry]

February 04, 2009, 02:11 CET

Orbán, Gyurcsány win 2-0 in latest match with Financial Times

Hungary's two political "tops dogs" aren't particularly known for their ability to get good press for themselves in the foreign media. But two pieces in the Financial Times this week show they can still manage to hoodwink the occasional unsuspecting... [read complete entry]

January 19, 2009, 09:56 CET

Nabucco ambassador: Gas crisis will strengthen commitment to project

The current gas crisis may give impetus to the accomplishment of the Nabucco pipeline project, Hungary's ambassador to the project, Mihaly Bayer told MTI on Friday.... [read complete entry]

January 19, 2009, 09:15 CET

Orbán pushes for Central European collaboration on security and development

Hungary's main conservative opposition party is keen to deepen military, security and economic co-operation in central Europe, Viktor Orban, Fidesz's leader, said in a public radio interview broadcast on Sunday.... [read complete entry]

January 14, 2009, 09:41 CET

Göncz takes EU line on Gaza conflict

Hungary's position on the conflict in the Gaza Strip is in line with the EU's stance, which calls for ending violence and urges negotiations to resolve the conflict, Hungarian Foreign Minister Kinga Goncz told leaders of Hungary's federation of Jewish... [read complete entry]

January 08, 2009, 02:08 CET

Liberal party head claims Hungary needs "green revolution"

Hungary must begin an "environmental revolution" in 2009 and wean itself off traditional energy sources, Gabor Fodor, leader of the liberal opposition Alliance of Free Democrats, told MTI in an interview on Thursday.... [read complete entry]

January 06, 2009, 09:27 CET

SZDSZ demands increase in gas reserves in response to Ukraine crisis

Hungary's gas reserves need to be expanded because the current Russian-Ukrainian dispute on gas supplies may result in a situation where Hungary needs to rely on reserves for several months, the executive of the liberal opposition Free Democrats said on... [read complete entry]

December 17, 2008, 09:59 CET

FM says relations with Romania not dependent on ethnic Hungarian party's role

Hungary is determined to maintain good bilateral relations with Romania even if the ethnic Hungarian party Democratic Union of Hungarians (RMDSZ) in Romania ends up in opposition rather than government, Foreign Minister Kinga Goncz said on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]

November 11, 2008, 01:43 CET

Jobbik webmaster faces UK tabloid witch hunt

It must be "cucumber season" in Britain judging by the amount of coverage Hungary is receiving in The Sun these days. The subject of this week's mock outrage exclusive is "top Euro neo-Nazi leader" Zoltán Füzessy, the Jobbik dude responsible... [read complete entry]

October 21, 2008, 10:18 CET

Slovák PM launches fresh attack on Hungary

Slovák Prime Minister Robert Fico, not a popular man in Hungary as it is, further stoked the flames of international conflict by publicly looking down his nose at his neighbors to the south this week, which may explain his smug... [read complete entry]