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Viktor Orbán blinks first as EU moves to block bilions of euros going to Hungary

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Viktor Orban in Brussels, 2017. Source: Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com

In the clash between Brussels and Budapest, Hungary blinked first. It was a successful test for the so-called conditionality mechanism that is supposed to keep countries from straying from democratic principles. But still, there is little hope for real anti-corruption reforms under Viktor Orbán.

Investigate Europe

14.12.2022

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Source: Tetiana Yurchenko / Shutterstock

Black clouds hang over the effective work done by investigative journalists. The recent decision of the Court of Justice of the EU imposed a serious risk of closure of access to information about beneficial owners – writes Krzysztof Izdebski from Open Spending EU Coalition

VSquare

06.12.2022

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A couple of weeks ago a Elon Musk, a billionaire, whose skin is apparently as thin as his wallet is thick, took over Twitter, one of the important public squares on-line. Source: kovop58 / Shutterstock

Even as we watch in disbelief as Twitter goes down in flames, we continue to put all our digital eggs in the baskets of Google Docs or Microsoft Office 365. We continue to host our services on Amazon AWS, behind CloudFlare. We continue to tie our businesses and public debate and our digital lives to Facebook. Because it’s easier that way. Until it’s not. But by then it’ll be too late.

VSquare

22.11.2022

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Visegrad group. Source: michal812 / Shutterstock

How has the war in Ukraine changed the V4 and relations between its members? How have these countries managed the refugee crisis and what can we expect in the near future?

VSquare

22.09.2022

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gives a speech at the 31st Bálványos Summer Free University and Student Camp in Tusnádfürdő, Transylvania, on 23 July 2022. Source: MTI/Prime Minister’s Press Office/Benko Vivien Cher.

Hate-mongering, unacceptable words reminiscent of fascism and nazi ideology – these are some of the comments on the speech given by Viktor Orbán in Băile Tuşnad, Romania in July, at this year’s event of the annual “Tusványos Festival”.