politics

Sweden, once a “model humanitarian state”, has now become a victim of its own migration policy: one-third of the population is no longer ethnically Swedish, the country has 59 no-go zones, and, after Albania, it has the highest number of gang-related deaths in Europe. In 2023, the Swedish government was forced to radically change its policy, reducing the number of asylum seekers from 163,000 to 9,000, while offering USD 34,000 in support to those who voluntarily return home.

Tisza included Brussels’ goal of banning Russian energy in its programme. The measure would impose heavy costs on all Hungarians, and is therefore rejected by two-thirds of adults. However, the ban divides political camps: while 59% of Tisza voters support it, 96% of Fidesz-KDNP voters reject the move.

Tisza’s austerity package would cause serious livelihood problems. The party’s measures would radically reduce household incomes while increasing their costs. The average Hungarian’s net income would fall from HUF 475,000 per month to HUF 346,000, i.e. by HUF 129,000.

It has been leaked that if Tisza were to win the election, they would impose severe austerity measures. The party would raise personal income taxes, abolish tax breaks, and ban Russian energy sources. The majority of Hungarians reject all elements of the Tisza package, a survey by Századvég found.

Péter Magyar would deliver on Brussels’ expectations and cut off Hungary from Russian energy sources. The ban would increase the annual electricity and gas bills of an average Hungarian family by HUF 510,000, and those of low-income families by HUF 540,000. More than a million households would not be able to afford it.

In 2025, the UK once again became Europe’s top migration destination, creating a crisis that compounded the Labour government’s poor performance on security and the economy. Following a discussion of the latest statistics on the rise in illegal immigration, we present the causes, the measures being taken to address them and their likely impact on both the UK and Europe.

The Tisza Party has adopted Brussels’ objective of banning Russian energy sources into its programme. The measure would have serious consequences: Hungary could buy less oil, which would raise the price of petrol to 1,026 forints per litre and diesel to 1,051 forints, according to an estimate by Századvég.

Péter Magyar announced that he would ban Russian oil and gas from Hungary, as requested by Brussels. The measure would increase Hungarian families’ electricity and gas bills by three and a half times the current level. The increase in utility costs would mean an extra cost of more than half a million forints per year for an average household.

Instead of the unanimity required for Ukraine’s accession to the EU, public opinion in 11 EU Member States opposes the belligerent country’s accelerated accession. The majority of the population in several neighbouring and surrounding countries (Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic) as well as in Germany and France, the two most populous Member States of the European Union, do not support Ukraine’s accession to the European Union as soon as possible, according to the latest results of Századvég’s 2025 Project Europe survey.

The latest results of Századvég’s Project Europe survey show that, while Brussels decision-makers continue their policy of distancing themselves from China in the shadow of the US-China trade war, more than 50% of people in all EU Member States believe that the European Union should strive for peaceful economic cooperation with both the United States and China.

80% of European citizens believe the continent is stagnating or declining. The pessimistic attitude can best be explained by the growing cost-of-living crisis: one in three EU citizens has trouble making ends meet, and almost half would be unable to cover a large, unexpected expense. There are significant differences between Member States: while in Greece and Latvia, the relative majority struggles to make ends meet, in the Netherlands and Hungary, three quarters of the population are able to live on their income.

Between 2016 and 2025, support for nuclear energy in the EU increased from 17% to 42%, while opposition fell from 44% to 17%. The technology is one of the most positively perceived in Hungary: two-thirds of Hungarians believe that nuclear power plants should play a decisive role in the energy mix.

On 2 June 2025, Századvég Foundation hosted the conference “A Changing World Order: Questions and Answers for Europe”, which aimed to explore the challenges facing the European Union and the impact of global geopolitical shifts. The event also presented the results of Századvég's Project Europe survey for 2025, which highlighted the current problems and concerns of European citizens.

22% of Europeans are unable to heat their homes properly, and 26% have been unable to pay their utility bills in the past year due to lack of money. Thanks to the overhead cost reduction, Hungary has the lowest figures for both indicators among EU Member States. But the Brussels plan to ban Russian energy would jeopardise the programme, with serious social consequences.

While the European political elite is obsessed with war and armament, in 2025, more European citizens oppose arms deliveries to Ukraine (49%) than support them (44%), and 67% of EU respondents reject sending military troops to support Ukraine, according to the latest results of the Századvég Project Europe survey.

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.