EUobserver

Our weekly series on Hungarian politics continues so we can report on developments after these historic elections and on events around the formation of the Tisza government. This week we cover the following topics: We may know the final election result on Saturday (18 April). Tisza’s victory has redrawn Hungary’s political map. Péter Magyar has begun settling accounts with Viktor Orbán’s legacy. Orbán is not saying goodbye in the EU.

Every day, the Ukraine Battlefield update newsletter offers a clear look at how the war is unfolding on the ground, highlighting key developments along the frontline and the shifting dynamics of the conflict. This offers readers regular and detailed information to better understand the implications of the war for the country and the whole continent. Journalists tried what it is like to run away from FPV drones. What not to do and, conversely, what increases your chances of survival.

The current energy crisis caused by the war with Iran could have hit Europe much harder, were it not for lower gas consumption and a marked shift towards renewable sources. This follows from analyses published by ING analysts and the Ember think tank. Compared with 2020, total gas consumption has fallen by one-fifth. In the sectors of electricity generation and district heating the savings were even more pronounced. Gas consumption there fell by as much as “an impressive 30 percent”, ING stated.

EUobserver voice is a daily opinion piece by EUobserver staff writers, published every weekday morning. Next month two elections take place on the far north-western fringe of Europe that may, in a small way, shape the future size of the EU. Both countries are, currently, non-EU members. Both have populations keen on membership. Both would fit the accession criteria, with very few teething problems. And that’s because they were both ‘members’ of the EU until six years ago. They are Scotland and Wales.

War on the continent and the deepening climate crisis are the backdrop against which the European Parliament has now taken a decisive step to shape the future of the European Union’s finances. With the adoption on Wednesday afternoon (15 April) of the interim report on the next EU budget (the Multi-annual Financial Framework 2028–2034) in the committee on budgets, we have formulated our response to the European Commission’s proposal presented last July.

First published in Respekt. Defending the status quo cannot be exciting for anyone. Europe must be able to imagine a society that is better than ours and see opportunities even where there are objectively many risks. In 1643, an English Protestant priest told his listeners: “We live in turbulent times, and these storms are global.” When I follow the news, I basically have the same feeling.

Every day, the Ukraine Battlefield update newsletter offers a clear look at how the war is unfolding on the ground, highlighting key developments along the frontline and the shifting dynamics of the conflict. This offers readers regular and detailed information to better understand the implications of the war for the country and the whole continent. In the first quarter, Russians recruited 20 percent fewer soldiers than a year ago. Recruitment bonuses have meanwhile reached record levels.

Let’s start with something surprising. We even wrote an article expressing worries about potential manipulation and what the reaction to Viktor Orbán’s defeat would be. In the end, he congratulated Peter Magyar quite early, and there was no big news about major manipulations. So, what happened? That was probably one of the biggest surprises of the evening for many, even for the more optimistic camp, which I belong to.

Péter Magyar’s sweeping victory on 12 April in Hungary demonstrates that an entrenched illiberal regime can be defeated in the ballot box. But we should not assume that regime change equals system change. If the EU wants Hungary to firmly reintegrate into the community of liberal democracies, it should avoid complacency. The two-thirds majority that Magyar will hold in parliament will give him the necessary power to dismantle Viktor Orbán’s autocratic system.

Péter Magyar promised during the election campaign that he would dismantle Viktor Orbán’s entire political system “brick by brick” — a system with which he had close ties until very recently. Over the past two years, Magyar has travelled almost constantly around the country, saying he would curb corruption and fix public services, which propelled his Tisza party to a constitutional majority in parliament. On foreign policy issues, however, he was cautious.