Sandor Zsiros

Europe News

Late invites and spats leave Magyar’s 1956 event short of leaders

Hungarian PM Péter Magyar had hoped to host top leaders in Budapest for the 70th anniversary of the 1956 revolution. But last-minute invitations and spats with Paris and Kyiv kept Macron, Tusk and Zelenskyy away, leaving only EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa attending.

23 October 2026

EU News

Von der Leyen, Costa in Budapest for 1956 anniversary event

Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa will join Hungarian PM Péter Magyar in Budapest on Friday to mark 70 years since the 1956 uprising, signalling a reset in EU-Hungary ties after Viktor Orbán’s years in power.

19 October 2026

Europe News

Magyar links French riots to migration, defends hard line

Hungary’s Péter Magyar said riots in France justified his tough migration stance, echoed by Poland’s Donald Tusk. Left-wing critics accused him of exploiting the unrest, despite most protesters being French nationals.

18 October 2026

Europe News

Hungary’s Magyar meets Zelenskyy in bid to reset strained ties

Hungarian PM Péter Magyar held talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the European Council, seeking to normalise ties after Kyiv passed a minority-rights law and Budapest dropped objections to EU accession clusters.

16 October 2026

The Ring

Are Hungary and the EU friends again? The Ring in Budapest

The Ring visits Budapest to ask whether Prime Minister Péter Magyar has reset Hungary’s ties with the EU. After April’s landslide, Brussels agreed to release €16.4bn in blocked funds, but several issues remain unresolved.

14 October 2026

Europe News

EU opens two more Ukraine accession clusters as Hungary lifts veto

EU governments agreed to open two additional accession clusters with Ukraine after Hungary dropped its veto following an agreement on the rights of the ethnic Hungarian minority. Zelenskyy and Magyar may meet in Brussels later this week.

13 October 2026

Europe News

EU ends anti-corruption funding curbs on Hungary, freeing €4.2bn

The Council of the EU has ended the 2022 conditionality mechanism imposed on Hungary over corruption risks, releasing €4.2 billion and restoring access to Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe after Péter Magyar’s new government adopted anti-corruption reforms.

13 October 2026

Europe News

Ukraine passes minority rights law to end Hungary’s EU veto

Ukraine’s parliament passed a minority rights law, easing a years-long dispute with Hungary. Diplomats expect Budapest to approve two more EU accession clusters on Tuesday, and Prime Minister Péter Magyar could meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels on Thursday.

12 October 2026

Europe News

Hungary set to lift veto on Ukraine's EU membership talks

Hungary dropped its veto on two clusters of Ukraine's EU accession talks on Wednesday. The next phase depends on Kyiv's parliament passing a minority-rights law.

7 October 2026

Europe News

Hungary and Ukraine close in on deal over ethnic Hungarian rights

Kyiv will propose a new law on minority education rights, with a vote expected in October. Budapest has blocked EU accession talks until Ukraine adopts the laws agreed under an 11-point plan on Hungarians in Transcarpathia.

2 October 2026

Europe News

Belgian minister warns Europe: Everything has to go faster on defence

Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken told the Euronews Defence Summit in Brussels that Europe faces a “dark winter” of Russian hybrid attacks and urgently needs stronger air defences, describing Russia as the biggest threat to Belgium’s security.

30 September 2026

Europe News

Magyar's 'Operation Purge' takes shape with high level detentions

Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s “Operation Purge” has entered a new phase with the detention of two former ministers. Holding officials from the Orbán era to account was a central campaign pledge, and Magyar says the drive will now accelerate. Fidesz has denounced the effort as political revenge.

29 September 2026

Europe News

Behind the scenes: summit row and oil deal test Hungary-Ukraine ties

A dispute over Hungary’s role in Ukraine’s Carpathian Eight summit and the disclosure of an oil-storage deal between MOL and Naftogaz have further strained ties between Budapest and Kyiv, as a separate row over minority rights continues to hold up Ukraine’s EU accession talks.

26 September 2026

Europe News

Von der Leyen says Hungary 'strengthened rule of law'

The European Commission has unlocked €4.2 billion in cohesion funds for Hungary and reopened Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe access, after PM Péter Magyar's government met EU rule-of-law conditions. Brussels froze the funds in 2022 over corruption and procurement concerns under the Orbán government.

23 September 2026

Europe News

Hungarian PM Magyar clashes with Ukraine FM over C8 forum

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Sybiha accused Magyar of echoing Orbán's "obstructionism and isolationism" after the Hungarian PM lambasted Kyiv for including Hungary in its new Carpathian Eight forum without consent.

22 September 2026

Europe News

Zelenskyy launches 'Carpathian Eight' alliance to boost investment

Ukraine's president unveiled the new eight-nation bloc at a summit in Western Ukraine on Friday, pledging cooperation on security, energy, and trade. Organisers hope to attract €9.4 billion in investments.

18 September 2026

Europe News

Hungary moves to amend controversial child protection law

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has announced amendments to the country’s child protection law, which the EU’s top court ruled discriminatory in April. The changes could end discrimination against sexual minorities and help unlock further EU funding for Hungary.

14 September 2026

Europe News

Hungary's continued veto slows Ukraine's EU accession process

Hungary once again blocked progress on Ukraine’s EU accession at a Council working group, linking further movement to guarantees protecting the rights of Hungary’s minority community in Ukraine. Budapest did not block Moldova’s parallel accession track, although other member states oppose separating

9 September 2026

Europe News

EU court dismisses Hungary's challenge to Russian asset aid

The EU's General Court ruled it lacks jurisdiction over decisions relating to the bloc's Common Foreign and Security Policy. The case comes after Budapest's new government, unlike its predecessor, moved this week to expel 10 Russian diplomats.

9 September 2026

Europe News

Hungary expels 10 Russian diplomats for 'unacceptable activities'

The move follows years of scrutiny over Russian intelligence activity in Hungary and marks a shift under Péter Magyar's new government.

8 September 2026