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 […]
The majority of Europeans consider the ban on Russian oil and gas supplies to be harmful
Although after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war in February, the European political elite uniformly opposed the sanctions affecting Russian energy supply, by the end of the spring period, many officials changed their previous opinion. One of the driving forces of the turnaround was the European Commission, which, despite criticism from several EU countries, including […]
What qualifies as an NGO and what does not?
Members of the opposition disguised in local elections “Members of the opposition are in disguise in the elections! – Establish a civil association, preferably include the name of the city, leave the party logos that provoke attacks, and the alliance is created!” (Index, 29.03.2019) A local counterbalance to government power is created. There will be […]
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 […]
To establish the Integrity Authority, Transparency International delegates not eligible candidates to the selection body
In recent months, the Commission has engaged in an intensive dialogue with the Hungarian Government, in the framework of which Hungary proposed broad corrective measures to dispel the concerns expressed by the Commission when the procedure was officially launched on 27 April this year. Under this procedure, the Commission first sent a letter to Hungary […]
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, […]
The European Commission is not interested in the strategic litigation practice of the left-liberal network, but it would deprive public authorities of Member States of their rights with the help thereof
The European Commission’s proposal for a directive, which was published last week, would restrict public authorities of Member States from taking legal action against allegations made by journalists and non-governmental organisations to protect their legitimate interests and maintain public confidence in public institutions. According to the Commission’s interpretation, state action constitutes a form of harassment […]
Europeans reject the household carbon tax proposed by Brussels
In its guidelines issued over the last ten years, the European Commission has sought to encourage market actors to drastically transform the energy mix by downsizing traditional forms of energy production and deregulating retail prices. The package of proposals entitled “Fit for 55” and issued by Brussels on 14 July 2021, would enhance earlier efforts […]
Europe wants price regulation: it would follow the Hungarian overhead cost reduction
In European countries where the state does not protect retail tariffs with an official safety net, rising market energy prices have spilled over into household overhead costs. In 2021, the price of household natural gas increased by more than 50 percent on average in the European Union, but there were significant differences between countries, based […]
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 […]
Pandemic control in Europe and Hungary
The research of Századvég Europe Project 2021 covering 30 European countries shows that the coronavirus remains one of the most important challenges for the continent’s residents, but in the second half of 2021 it was realized in the specific expectations for the government. A smaller part of the countries, including Hungary, are basically satisfied with […]
The left’s plans to increase overhead costs are disguised by misleading billboards
Péter Márki-Zay and his left-wing allies have launched a billboard campaign, in which they have announced, among other things, that “Orbán will go but overhead cost reduction will remain”. In a recent interview with Népszava, the left-liberal candidate for head of government also stated that “overhead cost reduction will remain” and strongly denied and “objected” […]
