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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

There are three main reasons for this: widespread use of proportional representation in European elections; the tendency of far-right parties to either fail or moderate in government; and the serious constraints that membership of the EU places on populist, anti-establishment parties.

ft.com

Why Europe’s centre will hold

The 1930s are not a good guide to the politics of the 21st century

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Brussels is preparing targeted “roadmaps” to bring Montenegro, Ukraine, Moldova and Albania into the EU sooner rather than later, while new rules could prevent new members from backsliding without changing the EU treaties, @politico.eu reports

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

‼️Népszabadság is returning on 8 October, exactly ten years after Orbán’s government shut it down. I was the paper’s Brussels correspondent when it was closed. For those of us who witnessed the destruction of Hungary’s independent press from the inside, this is a deeply personal moment. 2/1

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Reposted by Katalin Halmai

Henry Foy @henryjfoy.ft.com · 22/09/2026

France got its deal, convincing Latvia to drop its veto in exchange for a promise of closer co-operation on air defence and access to Paris’ nuclear deterrence umbrella Two of Russia’s richest and most prominent oligarchs freed from EU sanctions w @paolatamma.bsky.social as.ft.com/r/eb23edc6-8...

as.ft.com

EU to lift sanctions on two Russian oligarchs

Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov removed from bloc’s list under deal to extend curbs for three years

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Just a few months ago, Hungary was the black sheep; today, it's the model student. Isn't that unbelievable?

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

@vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu: “Nothing is inevitable. Just look at Hungary. The date of 12 April will stay in our memory for a very long time. The day the Hungarian people took their future into their hands. They chose democracy. They chose Europe. They brought HUN back to the heart of our Union. 3/1

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Sixteen of the country’s 20 largest donors have ploughed money into the Republican campaign, according to the FT’s analysis. George Soros is the standout Democratic backer. Other mega-donors have funnelled cash to candidates pushing deregulation of cryptocurrency and gambling or to promote AI.

ft.com

US billionaires line up to bankroll Republicans’ election push

Ultra-wealthy overwhelmingly back Donald Trump’s party over Democrats as money floods into midterms race

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

🌈 “Love is a fundamental right”, and in a humane Hungary everyone should be free to love whom they love and as they choose, as long as they harm no one or break no law, said PM Péter Magyar. After years of Orbán’s hateful anti-LGBTQ propaganda, his message is remarkably timely and important. 2/1

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

AfD: "We made history". Nah, you're just repeating it. @dgmeme.wsocial.eu

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

‼️There is an EU rule-of-law case that seems to have been almost forgotten. It shouldn’t be. If the Court of Justice follows the Advocate General’s opinion, the consequences for Hungary’s access to EU funds could be significant. And there is a remarkable twist: HUN now has a different government.🧵

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Péter Magyar clarified in a video message today that his party accession to the the EPP is contingent not only on the conclusion of the Article 7 procedure against Hungary, but also on the reimbursement of the daily fine of one million euros imposed for not complying with the EU asylum rules.

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Hungarian PM Péter Magyar just dropped a press release after meeting EPP President Manfred Weber in Budapest. It signals a massive shift in how Budapest plans to deal with Brussels, but his strategy raises serious questions. Let’s break it down. 👇 4/1

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Hungary’s government has declared that it has met all 27 EU rule-of-law and anti-corruption milestones to access certain EU funds. But as @danielfreund.bsky.social points out, the reforms still need to be carefully assessed in Brussels to see whether they actually meet the conditions.

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

😮Foreign funding is a threat to Hungarian sovereignty — unless it goes to people on the right side of the political spectrum? 👇 Frank Füredi, leader of the MCC Brussels, a pro-Orbán NGO, says he is “happy to get money from anywhere, Americans included,” as long as there are no strings attached. 3/1

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

One senior EU diplomat said a rejection from Iceland would “tarnish the pitch that [the EU] is also a serious defence and security partner and not just an economic golden ticket for poorer eastern European states”.

ft.com

Iceland rejects reopening talks on EU entry

‘No’ vote prevails in knife-edge referendum prompted by Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

👀 Hungary is about to establish a new Office for Asset Protection and Recovery. Parliament elected its first president today. She says Hungary could set an example for the world, as nowhere, she argues, have those responsible for a corrupt criminal system ever been fully held to account.

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Former colleague Karel Barták, Brussels correspondent of the Czech News Agency between 1995-2006, has passed away. I fondly remember him; a sharp mind with a witty sense of humour, he was a great deal of help in my early days in Brussels. R.I.P. Karel 🖤

api-ipa.org

In memory of Karel Barták – API – IPA

In memory of Karel Barták We were saddened to learn of the death of our former colleague, Karel Barták, a long-time Brussels correspondent of the Czech News Age

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Just hit 5,000 followers on Bluesky! Thank you! 💙

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

András Baka is set to become Hungary’s next President. The irony is hard to miss: Baka himself was removed as President of the Supreme Court in 2012, when the Orbán government changed the constitutional rules governing his office, cutting short a mandate that was due to run until 2015 🧵

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Reposted by Katalin Halmai

POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 08/08/2026

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s ruling Tisza party said today that it had nominated former Supreme Court President András Baka to become the country’s next president.

politico.eu

Magyar’s party backs former supreme court head for Hungarian president

Parliament is set to elect András Baka next week.

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

@szabolcspanyi.bsky.social is the first journalist from an EU member state ever to receive the CPJ International Press Freedom Award. It couldn't have gone to a more deserving colleague. 👏

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Reposted by Katalin Halmai

Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 23/07/2026

European Union regulators on Thursday hit Google with a $1 billion fine for illegally undercutting competition through its dominance as a search engine. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/b...

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

“Magyar’s authority is subject to few meaningful constraints beyond public opinion, his own popularity & perhaps the EU”, says @danielhegedus.bsky.social. “The success of 🇭🇺 re-democratisation will ultimately depend on the willingness of Tisza & Péter Magyar to exercise political self-restraint.”

ft.com

The Magyar revolution: Hungary’s new era

What will the dismantling of the Orbán machine lead to?

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

🚗 BREAKING: Do you remember Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs? He is leaving the Parliament for BYD. It feels less like a career change and more like the final chapter of a very successful marketing campaign. But a bit surprising that he didn’t sign with Gazprom instead.

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

‼️This is what is currently on the screen of Hungary's public broadcaster: "Public service media must not lie." It apologizes for years of deception and says it is being transformed into an independent, trustworthy public service broadcaster. News broadcasting is temporarily suspended.

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

The whole world will be rooting for Belgium now. 🇧🇪⚽ #WorldCup

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

There's a certain irony in the timing. One of the first casualties in the post-Orbán era is an independent, left-leaning newspaper that spent years reporting under increasingly difficult circumstances. 3/1

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

😢 I was a journalist at Népszava for many years, so this feels especially personal. The newspaper's print edition ended a few weeks ago, but the team continued producing its digital print replica, available online and through the mobile app. Now that chapter has also come to a close. 2/1

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

‼️The CEU is set to become a two-campus university again, HUN media reports. While Vienna will remain its main campus, degree-granting programs are expected to return to Budapest once the necessary approvals are completed. A step toward restoring the university's academic presence in Hungary! 2/1

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

IPI today welcomes the passing of a law by the new Tisza government which overhauls the Orbán-era framework governing the country’s public media and media regulatory bodies as an important first step towards restoring press freedom.

ipi.media

Hungary: IPI welcomes law reforming public media and regulatory bodies – ipi.media

The International Press Institute (IPI) today welcomes the passing of a law by the new Tisza government which overhauls the Orbán-era framework governing the country’s public media and media regulator...

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

The FT obtained documents outlining the accounts of Farage’s former political group in the European parliament, Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD).

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

🦯 🥕 “There are sticks and carrots in the (migration) pact. So, you get funding, you get money, only if you apply the pact,” Commissioner Magnus Brunner said to @euractiv.com whether the Commission would use “sticks” to bring Hungary into line. PM Péter Magyar is now keeping his options open.

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Orbán will also hold a press conference at the headquarters of a Fidesz foundation based in Brussels. I’m curious to see if they’ll let the independent press in. When he was prime minister, they didn’t let them in for about the last ten years.

euronews.com

Viktor Orbán returns to Brussels after election setback

Hungary's former prime minister will return to Brussels next week for the first time since his election defeat in April, attending a gathering of the far-right Patriots for Europe. #EuropeNews

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

The head of the Integrity Authority said that under the Orbán government he was subjected to politically motivated attacks — as well as being the target of attempted bribes — while trying to probe the public procurement scheme. His wife had been offered a jobbwhich involved high pay for no work.

politico.eu

Prosecute Orbán’s inner circle over ‘stolen’ billions, Hungary’s anti-corruption watchdog says

The head of the Hungarian Integrity Authority claims top officials oversaw a scheme to systematically defraud the public purse.

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

In Hungary, Fidesz has once again made migration the center of political debate. The party repeatedly demands that PM Péter Magyar distance himself from the EU Migration Pact which enters into force next week. Magyar accuses Orbán of failing to prevent the pact from being adopted in the EU. 2/1

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

☝️What we’re seeing in multiple recent cases is a broader pattern: once external political pressure eases, institutions begin to correct course on their own. Without direct government intervention, questionable processes get reviewed, restrictions are lifted, and past anomalies gradually unwind.

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Hungary’s Péter Magyar and his Tisza party — already sitting with the @eppgroup.bsky.social in the European Parliament — have begun the process of formally joining the party, two officials told @politico.eu

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Reposted by Katalin Halmai

Gabriela Greilinger @gabrielagreilinger.com · 03/06/2026

Nothing to see here, just our favourite former prime minister supporting European extreme right activists' ethnic cleansing plans.

Viktor Orbán on X:

"For years, Brussels told Europeans not to worry about migration. Then they told us not to believe our own eyes. Now they’re telling us that opposing mass migration is racist and un-European.

Thanks to
@EvaVlaar
Europeans have a chance to say NO! The
@SaveEuropeAct
aims to remind Brussels that Europe is not a waiting room for the world. It is our home.

Courage is contagious. Make sure you sign it today!"

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Few expected Péter Magyar’s government to secure even half of Hungary’s €10bn recovery fund slice. “The Commission’s starting position was €4bn-€5bn. We worked that up to €10bn,” transport and investment minister Dávid Vitézy said. “There were tough rounds of talks in recent weeks.”

ft.com

Hungary secures more EU funds than it can spend

Budapest has to find projects for €10bn from pandemic recovery fund which lapses in December

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

The @ec.europa.eu is aware of the brewing constitutional row in Hungary and “following it actively,” spokesperson Markus Lammert told @politico.eu. @michaelmcgratheu.bsky.social travels to Budapest today but is unlikely to raise the issue in his meetings, an EU official said.

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Hungary’s new prime minister has pledged to change the constitution to remove from office most appointees put in place by his predecessor Viktor Orbán, including the country’s president.

ft.com

Hungarian PM to remove president and other ‘Orbán puppets’ from office

Péter Magyar to use parliamentary majority against predecessor’s appointees

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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Hungary’s PM Péter Magyar has long been calling on President Tamás Sulyok and the heads of several state institutions—whom he describes as Orbán loyalists—to resign. 2/1

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