How Hungary torpedoed the EU's sanctions crackdown on Russia
‘Hungary’s stance on oil and gas sanctions on Russia remains unchanged,’ Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltán Kovacs said on Monday. ‘We…
Is Slovakia a mafia state?
As soul searching in Britain continues over Boris Johnson’s alleged proximity to a slice of cake, a different sort of…
Why Viktor Orbán keeps winning
Viktor Orbán took the stage for a victory speech in Budapest last night with supporters chanting his name. Not long…
Hungary’s ‘patriotic fight’ with the EU: an interview with justice minister Judit Varga
Budapest is racked with tension. As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sends a stream of refugees to Hungary’s eastern border, Viktor…
The crisis in Ukraine is strengthening the EU
The EU has a knack for turning a crisis into an opportunity. The Eurozone crisis led to the centralisation of…
Hungary is standing by the EU on Ukraine
Thursday marked the beginning of a new era in European politics. Nowhere has Russia’s invasion of Ukraine been met with…
The EU is pushing Hungary and Poland to the brink
Storm clouds looming over the EU’s ‘rule of law’ dispute turned a shade darker on Wednesday. The European Court of…
Could Viktor Orbán be a peacemaker in Ukraine?
For a politician whose calling card is the struggle for Hungarian national sovereignty, Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin’s press conference…
Can the Czech Republic challenge Europe’s vaccine orthodoxy?
The Omicron wave has left European counties standing at a crossroads this year. Despite the relative mildness of Omicron compared…
Eastern Europe's toxic relationship with Russia has left the EU divided
Joe Biden’s fatalistic statement this week that suggested a ‘minor incursion’ by Russia into Ukraine might be tolerated by the…
The attempt to oust Viktor Orbán is falling apart
This week it was confirmed that a Hungarian general election – framed as a referendum on Viktor Orbán’s leadership –…
Eastern Europe is paying for the EU’s climate revolution
Europe’s energy crisis shows little sign of abating. After Germany this week withheld approval for the Nord Stream 2 gas…
Poland’s abortion culture war is a battle for the country’s soul
This week it emerged that a hospital in the city of Białystok in Poland refused to grant an abortion to…
Why Viktor Orbán is fighting a war against ‘LGBT ideology’
‘Do you support the unrestricted presentation of sexual media content that influences the development of underage children?’ In a national…
How lockdowns for the unvaccinated swept across central Europe
What began in Austria has spread to Germany, then the Czech Republic and now Slovakia. Lockdowns for the unvaccinated are…
Poland’s Belarusian border conflict is becoming violent
The EU’s conflict with Belarus is heating up. The simmering migrant crisis on the Polish border with Belarus exploded into…
The problem with the EU’s messianic treatment of Poland
Mateusz Morawiecki insists his government does not want to take Poland out of the EU. ‘Eighty-eight per cent of Poles…
Is the European centre collapsing?
There’s a growing tension in the European bloc between those unhappy with Brussels’s increasing interventionism and by those who feel the…
The EU was the big winner in the Czech election
Eurosceptics in central Europe suffered a blow this weekend, as pro-EU coalitions won a slender majority in the Czech parliament.…
Czexit could be closer than we think
Is Czexit closer than we think? Ahead of the Czech general elections in October, the rise of an anti-EU party…
Donald Tusk is playing a dangerous game in dismissing Polexit
‘The British showed that the dictatorship of the Brussels bureaucracy did not suit them and turned around and left.’ That’s…
The battle for Eastern Europe’s energy sector
The fight to power eastern Europe is heating up. As Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to meet Joe Biden at the…
Fortress Europe is dreading the Afghan migrant crisis
Fortress Europe is pulling up the drawbridge. The takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban is likely to being about a…
Belarusians in exile aren't safe from the iron grip of Lukashenko
This week has laid bare the terrifying situation faced by Belarusians in their home country and abroad. From Tokyo’s Olympic…
The EU is failing to stand up for eastern Europe
Will the EU stand up for eastern Europe? This question is now being asked by Ukraine following the announcement of…