Robin Marshall

The Saturday sitting was unusual but deliberate. May 9 is Europe Day, and Magyar’s Tisza Party has vowed to reboot Hungary’s relationship with the EU, not least to unfreeze sorely needed funding. The first act of Ágnes Forsthoffer, only the second woman to hold the position of Speaker of the National Assembly, was to order that the EU flag once again fly outside Parliament, alongside the Hungarian tricolor.

Themes this year include the impact of geopolitical tensions and AI, new regulations, and those that top the wish-list, whether the education system is fit for purpose, and the hardest roles to fill. BBJ: What impact, if any, has the war in Iran (and the ongoing invasion of Ukraine) had on the recruitment market? Are firms delaying or retreating from hiring decisions they had been considering at the start of the year?

Making his first speech to Parliament today after becoming Prime Minister, Péter Magyar promised a bill on the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office would be among the first to be submitted by the new Tisza Party government, saying the new body will be “one of the most important institutions of the 2026 change of regime.” He also issued a public apology to abuse victims in two state children’s homes.