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☆ Hungary Far-Right Would Lay Claim to Neighbouring Region, if Ukraine Loses War
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's far-right Our Homeland party would lay claim to a western region of Ukraine that is home to about 150,000 ethnic Hungarians if Ukraine loses its statehood due to Russia's invasion, the party's leader said late on Saturday. "Regarding the war in Ukraine, our message is very simple: immediate ceasefire, peace and a resolution through talks," Toroczkai said in a video posted on his party's website, calling for autonomy for ethnic Hungarians in western Ukraine. "If this war ends up with Ukraine losing its statehood, because this is also on the cards, then as the only Hungarian party taking this position, let me signal that we lay claim to Transcarpathia," he said, drawing applause from the crowd. Budapest has clashed with Kyiv over what it says are curbs on the rights of roughly 150,000 ethnic Hungarians to use their native tongue. Last month all European Union states except Hungary, which is also a member of NATO, agreed to start EU accession talks with Ukraine.

Persons: Laszlo Toroczkai, Toroczkai, Viktor Orban, Zoltan Kovacs, Peter Szijjarto, Dmytro Kuleba, Denys Shmyhal, Boldizsar Gyori, William Maclean Organizations: Homeland, Dutch Forum for Democracy, Ukraine, Hungarian Foreign Ministry, Hungarian, Union, NATO Locations: BUDAPEST, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Budapest, Hungarian, Hungary

☆ EU states to start debating Ukraine membership talks on Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] European Union (EU) flags fly in front of the headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, Germany, July 8, 2020. The initial draft, dated Dec.4 and seen by Reuters on Monday, reads: "The European Council decides to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and with Moldova." For Bosnia, the initial draft stated the bloc was "ready to open EU accession negotiations... once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is achieved". All three decisions would require unanimous backing of the 27 EU countries. "In our perception, no conditions for Ukraine to start accession talks are met," Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs told journalists separately on Monday.

Persons: Ralph Orlowski, Zoltan Kovacs, Charles Michel, Kovacs, Viktor Orban, Michel, Gabriela Baczynska, Jan Strupczewski, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: European Union, European Central Bank, REUTERS, Rights, European Commission, EU, Kyiv, Reuters, European Council, Commission, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Ukraine, Hungary, Moldova, Georgia, Bosnia, Soviet, Kyiv, EU, Caucasus, Tbilisi, Budapest, Hungarian, Brussels

But some worry the aid could be blocked by Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban who has touted his ties with Moscow and objected to similar support in the past. Asked for comment, Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said that any financial aid to Ukraine should be separate from the EU budget. "The issue of money for Ukraine will be solved one way or another, Kyiv will get EU support," the official said. BILLIONS AT STAKELast year, Hungary vetoed a similar proposal to give 18 billion euros in financial assistance to Ukraine in 2023. EU officials told Reuters last month that they were looking at unlocking at least some of that money as the bloc seeks to win Orban's vote for Ukraine.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Zoltan Kovacs, Valdis Dombrovskis, Orban, Jan Strupczewski, Gabriela Baczynska, Andrew Heavens, Toby Chopra Organizations: Moscow, Russia, Kyiv, European, Hungary's, EU, Trade, Ukraine, Hungary, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hungary, Moscow Ukraine, BRUSSELS, BUDAPEST, Ukraine, Kyiv, Brussels, Moscow, EU, Budapest, Russia

☆ Hungarian government official argues Sweden isn't nice enough to his country to get approval to join NATO
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Hungary is one of two countries yet to approve Sweden's bid to join NATO. Sweden — alongside neighboring Finland — requested to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine over a year ago, but it still needs Hungary's approval to do so. "With Finland's admission into NATO now secure, Sweden must face the music regarding its daunting attitude and former derogatory comments toward Hungary," Kovács wrote. Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty ImagesKovács wrote that another reason for the hold up on Sweden's NATO bid is Stockholm's "crumbling throne of moral superiority" and a "lack of care and respect." Sweden and Finland — both of which have historically been militarily nonaligned — applied to join NATO in May 2022 and were invited to join the military alliance the following month.

☆ Hungary says 'grievances' hold up ratification of Sweden's NATO accession
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUDAPEST, March 29 (Reuters) - Hungary is holding up Sweden's admission to NATO because of grievances over criticism by Stockholm of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's policies, the Hungarian government spokesman said on Wednesday. Bridging the gap will require effort on both sides, spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said. Sweden and its neighbour Finland asked to join the NATO military alliance last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said last week that Turkey's parliament would also start ratifying Finland's accession. But it held off approving Sweden's bid, accusing it of harbouring Kurdish militants.

☆ EU wrangles with Hungary over Ukraine aid, tax plan as billions at risk
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

As the wrangling has gone on, Hungary also blocked the 18 billion euros joint EU loan to Ukraine and the tax plan, drawing ire from other countries for what they said was an attempt to blackmail the bloc into releasing the funds to Budapest. Hungary says it opposes joint EU borrowing to support Ukraine but that it would extend bilateral aid to Kyiv instead. Budapest has also said the OECD plan for a minimum corporate tax is against Hungary's national interests. Other EU countries are divided between those willing to punish Hungary more harshly and those saying the amounts frozen would be lessened if Hungary moved on Ukraine and OECD. The rest depends on Hungary, it's their money," said one EU diplomat.

☆ Hungary, Serbia agree to build pipeline to ship Russian oil to Serbia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The receiver station of the Druzhba oil pipeline between Hungary and Russia is seen at the Hungarian MOL Group's Danube Refinery in Szazhalombatta, Hungary, May 18, 2022. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo/File PhotoBUDAPEST, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Hungary and Serbia have agreed to build a pipeline to supply Serbia with Russian Urals crude via the Druzhba oil pipeline as Belgrade's shipments via Croatia fall under EU sanctions, the Hungarian government said on Monday. Serbia gets its oil via the JANAF oil pipeline from Croatia. "The new oil pipeline would enable Serbia to be supplied with cheaper Urals crude oil, connecting to the Friendship oil pipeline," Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs tweeted. Hungary has gas reserves covering about five to six months' worth of consumption, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.

☆ Hungary PM Orban says EU's Russia sanctions should be scrapped
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban looks on during a news conference after the parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary April 6, 2022. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo/File PhotoBUDAPEST, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told his ruling Fidesz party that sanctions against Russia imposed by the European Union should be scrapped, the pro-government daily Magyar Nemzet reported late on Wednesday. Without sanctions, Europe could regain strength and could avoid a looming recession, the report quoted Orban as saying, reiterating his earlier stance that the sanctions were hurting Europe more than Russia. On his Facebook page, Orban posted from the party meeting:"The Brussels sanctions have pushed Europe into an energy crisis." read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Hungarian government to submit anti-corruption bill to avoid losing EU funds
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Krisztina Than | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban waves at the audience during general session at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas, U.S., August 4, 2022. Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in power since 2010, has clashed with Brussels repeatedly over his policies that it sees as eroding democracy in the Central European country. He said Budapest would likely secure the pending deal but that would not resolve all the outstanding disagreements over other chunks of EU funds. Like most EU countries, Hungary last year submitted its blueprint on how it would use EU grants to make its economy more environmentally friendly and high-tech after the COVID-19 pandemic. It has yet to receive approval on that as well because of EU concerns over corruption, and the rule of law.

☆ Interzicerea adopțiilor pentru cuplurile homosexuale din Ungaria a fost criticată de Comisia de la Veneția
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-06 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +4 min

Guvernul condus de Viktor Orban a adoptat această revizuire a Constituţiei maghiare, care cuprinde dispoziţii asupra căsătoriei şi familiei, orientării sexuale, identităţii de gen şi educaţiei copiilor, scrie digi24.ro. Comisia de la Veneţia admite, însă, că decizia privind definirea căsătoriei ca fiind numai uniunea între un bărbat şi o femeie, inclusă în această reformă constituţională, „revine statului ungar şi legislatorului său''. Noul cadru legal ungar prevede că numai cuplurile căsătorite pot adopta copii, cu posibilitatea ca, prin excepţie, adopţiile să poată fi făcute şi de persoanele singure, cu condiţia unei aprobări punctuale din partea ministrului pentru afaceri familiale. Comisia de la Veneţia „s-a alăturat seriei de atacuri internaţionale împotriva Ungariei'' şi „recită propaganda stângii şi a lui George Soros'', a reacţionat după publicarea acestei opinii secretarul de stat ungar Zoltan Kovacs, potrivit agenţiei MTI. „Ungaria protejează instituţia căsătoriei ca fiind una între un bărbat şi o femeie, precum şi familia, baza supravieţuirii naţiunii'', a indicat acesta.

Persons: Viktor Orban, George Soros, Zoltan Kovacs, Judit Varga, aşteptată, Mark Rutte, francez Emmanuel Macron Organizations: Agerpres, ungar, Parlamentul European, UE, Uniunea Europeană Locations: Veneţia, Ungaria, ungar, Budapestei, Ungariei, şcoli, olandez, francez, UE, Est

☆ Ungaria a devenit primul stat UE care autorizează vaccinul rusesc Sputnik
▼ + stars: | 2021-01-21 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Agenția de reglementare maghiară a oferit o autorizare temporară vaccinului rusesc Sputnik, dar și celui dezvoltat de Oxford/AstraZeneca, a anunțat joi guvernul de la Budapesta. Ungaria este prima țară UE care aprobă vaccinul rusesc. Budapesta negociază acum un contract cu Rusia pentru a cumpăra vaccinul Sputnik, a precizat guvernul, motiv pentru care ministrul de externe va călători vineri la Moscova. Producătorul serului rusesc a spus că acesta are o eficiență apropiată de cea a vaccinurilor Pfizer/BioNTech și Moderna, adică aproximativ 92%, și a respins reticențele experților europeni. Unele sondaje, scrie BBC, sugerează că doar 7% dintre maghiari ar accepta vaccinul rusesc și doar 1% pe cel chinezesc.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Zoltan Kovacs Organizations: Uniunea Europeană, Agenția, Sputnik, BBC, Emiratele Arabe Unite Locations: Budapesta, Oxford, Ungaria, Statele UE, Britanie, Rusia, Moscova, Beijing, Serbia, Emiratele Arabe, China

☆ Germania a mediat un compromis care include o declaraţie suplimentară privind condiţionarea blocării fondurilor
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-11 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

''Acum putem să începem cu implementarea şi consolidarea economiilor noastre'', a scris Charles Michel pe Twitter, în timpul summitului de la Bruxelles, fără a dezvălui detaliile acordului, scrie agerpres.ro Noul instrument permite blocarea fondurilor dacă se consideră că unele încălcări ale standardelor fundamentale, precum nerespectarea independenţei sistemului judiciar, ameninţă integritatea bugetară.Preşedinţia germană a Consiliului UE ajunsese miercuri la un compromis cu Varşovia şi Budapesta, dar înaintea summitului început joi la Bruxelles nu era clar dacă toate ţările membre îl vor accepta.Compromisul mediat de Germania a implicat o declaraţie suplimentară de înţelegere asupra modului în care va funcţiona noul instrument de condiţionare a acordării fondurilor europene. Potrivit unui proiect al declaraţiei, consultat de DPA, nu va fi luată nicio hotărâre de blocare a fondurilor înainte ca CJUE (Curtea de Justiţie a UE) să se pronunţe în cazul în care o ţară decide să conteste reglementare în cauză.Declaraţia suplimentară încă are nevoie de undă verde din partea celorlalte 25 de state membre UE.Premierul polonez Mateusz Morawiecki a calificat compromisul drept o ''dublă victorie''. ''Pe de o parte, bugetul UE poate începe şi Polonia va primi 770 miliarde de zloţi (174 de milioane de euro) din el. Pe de altă parte, aceste fonduri sunt sigure întrucât mecanismul de condiţionare a fost limitat prin criterii foarte precise'', a spus Morawiecki, adăugând că acordul împiedică schimbarea ulterioară a regulilor, împotriva intereselor Poloniei.La rândul său, Zoltan Kovacs, purtător de cuvânt al premierului ungar, a scris pe Twitter: ''Am câştigat. Într-o perioadă dificilă a cu pandemie şi criză economică, nu este timp de continuat dezbaterile ideologice şi politice care ne împiedică să acţionăm''.

Persons: Charles Michel, Morawiecki, Zoltan Kovacs Organizations: UE Locations: Bruxelles, Varşovia, Budapesta, Germania, Justiţie, UE, UE.Premierul, Polonia

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