European Union

Brussels is considering a new measure to ban Russian energy imports into the European Union. According to Századvég estimates, the missing natural gas volumes would cause prices to double and volatility to increase on European natural gas exchanges, which would further undermine the EU’s competitiveness and increase Hungary’s energy bill by a total of HUF 1,100 billion. With the increased expenses, the overhead cost reduction policy would become unsustainable, and Hungarian families’ heating costs would increase three and a half times the current level, which would mean an average additional expense of nearly half a million forints per year.

In the first three years of the Russia-Ukraine war, Hungary was hit by costs of around 9,100 billion forints, which amounted to more than 2 million forints per family. Ukraine’s accelerated accession would increase the burden further. The direct costs would be close to 2 thousand billion forints per year, which would amount to almost half a million forints per household. Additional indirect costs, which are difficult to quantify, could be even higher.

Századvég presented its latest research, which aims to explore the impact of recent crises on Hungarian society. The research focused on how crises have affected social stratification, mobility and mental health. The research used a multidimensional approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods to identify patterns of crisis impacts across different social groups and geographical units, and to explore deeper contexts and narratives.

At the European Council summit in Brussels at the end of June, the heads of state and government of the member states proposed the extension of the mandate of Ursula von der Leyen, the current President of the European Commission, and the European Parliament is expected to confirm the German politician's nomination at its inaugural session in the week of July 15. Given these developments, Századvég evaluated and analyzed the activities of Ursula von der Leyen, covering the period from the Commission's assumption of office on December 1, 2019, to December 31, 2023.

Brussels has called on EU Member States to phase out subsidies on utility rates immediately, even though their abolition would have serious social consequences. The energy crisis is not over, and countries that do not protect their populations from market prices are facing severe energy poverty, according to research by Századvég Europe Project.

Political messages in recent months clearly show that the defence industry is on the verge of a quantum leap, both across Europe and at EU level. As a first step in this process, on 5 March 2024, the European Commission, in a joint declaration with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, published the first European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS), which sets out the Commission's long-term vision for the management of defence industrial issues at EU level, the role of the EU institutions and the room for manoeuvre of the Member States up to 2035.

In recent years, Denmark’s strict immigration laws and proactive integration initiatives have made it unique among Western European EU countries. One of the unique features that distinguishes Denmark is the recognition of the negative consequences of migration, such as the existence of “ghettos”, which are areas designated by the government on “ghetto lists” and inhabited by immigrants.

6 out of 10 EU citizens do not agree with the new migration pact, which allows illegal migrants to be resettled in the EU Member States without the say of Member States, according to Századvég’s latest Project Europe survey.

The European Parliament and Council have adopted a Commission proposal to phase out fossil fuel boilers for heating buildings in the EU by 2040. The majority of EU citizens disagree with the decision, according to research by Századvég.

Most European citizens disagree with Brussels’ efforts to relax environmental and import regulations on Ukrainian produce, Századvég’s Project Europe research shows.

While 59% of EU citizens would fight for their country on its own soil, just over a quarter (27%) would take up arms outside its borders. In fact, when it comes to the involvement of EU soldiers in Ukraine, there is overwhelming rejection (69%) according to the latest results of Századvég’s Project Europe research.