General perspectives, political attitudes
According to the latest results, nearly two thirds (64%) of EU and UK citizens feel that things are going rather badly in their country, while 29% are positive about the way things are going. A similar picture can be seen for the sense of prosperity. The vast majority of EU and UK respondents (56%) expect […]
Opinions on the European Union
It is important to emphasise that in times of crisis (including the threat of war), citizens tend to turn to larger entities and communities for security, while European citizens are more critical of the day-to-day activities of the EU bureaucracy than of the European Union as the embodiment of the European ideal. Thirdly, public perception […]
War
As regards the public’s perception of individual punitive measures, it is important to highlight that there is divided support for restrictive measures that have a significant impact on the daily lives of Europeans, while there is high support for less essential sanctions that play a minor role in the daily lives of Europeans. One of […]
Energy, economy
With the energy crisis unfolding, the phenomenon of energy poverty is becoming increasingly prominent in public discourse, with two possible indicators being the survey of households experiencing heating and bill payment difficulties. At the end of 2022, 26% of EU and UK respondents said they were unable to heat their homes properly, with some countries […]
Family
The latest results show that nearly three quarters (73%) of EU citizens have a positive opinion of family values. The Balkan region has the most positive attitudes towards family values, while the Visegrad countries and the countries of the former socialist bloc also expressed positive attitudes above the European average. In the context of the […]
Migration
In light of this, it is less surprising that more than two thirds (78%) of the people in the 38 European countries surveyed are concerned about the influx of irregular migrants into Europe. In all countries except Albania (49%), there is a majority of people expressing concern about this issue, even in traditionally pro-migration societies […]
Coronavirus pandemic
59% of European citizens expressed concern about the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, but there are significant differences between countries. Italians (68%), Swedes (67%) and Spaniards (66%) are most concerned about the pandemic situation, while the lowest levels of public concern are recorded in Hungary (44%), Kosovo (41%) and Albania (38%). The perception of government […]
Climate change
European public opinion: Sanctions hurt the EU more than Russia
The European Union’s sanctions policy is reasonably expected to cause more damage to Russia than to Europe. As punitive measures have not been able to speed up the end of the war (in fact, the armed conflict is deepening) and the EU’s prospects are deteriorating, there is growing criticism of the Community’s previous efforts. EU […]
Europeans want peace, not sanctions
Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict, the Western political elite, both in its communications and in its proposals, has placed more emphasis on punishing Russia than on facilitating peace talks. Much of Brussels’ sanctions and foreign policy efforts have pushed the chances of an agreement between the parties and a quick end to […]
European public opinion: Instead of energy sanctions, diversification is needed
The leaders of the Member States of the European Union agree that efforts should be made to reduce the energy dependence on Russia, but there is much disagreement about how to do this. Pro-sanctions countries, such as Poland or the Baltic states, believe that Russian energy supplies should be banned as soon as possible, even […]
Human Rights Watch has published a politically highly biased report on the state of personal data protection in Hungary
However, contrary to the claims of the NGO’s report, the legal protection of these rights has been even stronger in Hungary since 2010, and the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH) is performing its task well in terms of effective data protection. In Hungary, the possibility of fair access to the […]
The Lincoln Project, or the Trojan horse of Soros and the liberals on the American right?
In Dallas, at the annual summer conference (CPAC) of the American Conservative Union, a prestigious political organization in the United States, on 4 August 2022 Prime Minister Viktor Orbán delivered a speech with guiding intentions and impact at the opening of the internationally closely followed event. However, in connection with the hihgly successful speech among […]
The review of the European Waste Framework Directive
The webinar, steered by Pál Belényesi, welcomed four panellists: László Kökény, Senior Advisor, Climate & Energy Advisory at Századvég; Mr. Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea, Director of Circular Economy, DG Environment, European Commission Ms. Anett Tóth, Senior Expert, EU Regulatory Affairs, MOL Group, Hungary; and Ms. Szilvia Szentesi, Senior Legal Expert of Circular Economy, Ministry for Technology and […]
NGOs linked to George Soros had foreign funds in abundance in 2020 as well
I. HCLU, or can there be “civic” public representation of international circles outside the world of traditional parties? The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) is a liberal human rights organisation that was founded in Budapest in 1994 to achieve its professional and public goals. Although it claims to be independent of public bodies and parties, […]
Innovation in CEE and the new European Innovation Agenda
The webinar, steered by Pál Belényesi, included four panelists: Bence Kováts, PMO Director at Századvég Konjunktúrakutató; András G. Inotai, Head of Unit of Innovation Policy and Access to Finance, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission; Bohumil Kartous, Director of the Prague Innovation Institute; and Péter Lábody, Vice President of Legal, International and Innovation Affairs at […]
The report of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights reflects the influence of NGOs
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published its Fundamental Rights Report 2022 (hereinafter: Report) on 8 June 2022. The FRA is an independent reference and centre of excellence for the promotion and protection of human rights in the European Union (hereinafter: EU). Through its work, it provides evidence-based advice to EU and national […]
The plan of the European Political Community can be seen as an attack on EU law and sovereign nation states
On 9 May 2022, Emmanuel Macron proposed the creation of a new European Political Community (EPC) to the European Parliament, which was supported by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. A similar concept was outlined by former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta following the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war. This new cooperation structure would allow Albania, […]
No fact or reality-based assessment can be expected in the 2022 Rule of Law Report
As it was said in the webinar entitled “The Rule of Law Mechanism – what is the role of civil society organisations?” organised by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) on 7 December 2021, the European Commission (EC) would issue a rule of law report every July. The EC is going to collect […]
The EU rule of law mechanism has come under the influence of the Soros network
The webinar of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) entitled The EU Rule of Law Mechanism – what is the role of civil society organizations? was held at the end of last year, which provided the representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with answers to the following questions: What is the rule of law […]
