Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar confronted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin this week, rejecting the strategy of tying Ukraine’s financial support to ongoing EU budget negotiations. During a press conference, Magyar stated he did not consider it a good idea to link the European budget, which is ultimately about the EU itself, in any way to another issue. The visit marked a thaw in bilateral relations after years of frosty ties under his predecessor Viktor Orban, yet the disagreement over aid mechanisms remains sharp and unresolved between the two capitals.
Magyar’s critique of Brussels
Magyar delivered the State of Europe speech at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, speaking in German to accuse Europe’s governing elites of having "lost contact with the people." He argued that Brussels detected the problems Europe was facing but failed to find solutions in recent years. The PM warned against radical movements offering easy solutions that merely divide and polarize Europe while serving hostile outside forces. His vision involves a gradual shift back towards nation states, which he believes know better what their societies need. Magyar also pleaded for cheaper energy sources without explicitly naming Russian gas, alongside strengthening industrial competitiveness and stepping up the fight against illegal migration and climate change.
Slovakia’s parliamentary crisis
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s mood was severely damaged when his government lost its parliamentary majority on Wednesday. A controversial amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code received just 75 votes in the 150-seat parliament, falling short of the required threshold. Two MPs around recently dismissed environment minister Tomas Taraba voted against it, while former coalition MP Jan Ferencak abstained. Prosecutors and anti-corruption groups warned the measure could undermine ongoing criminal cases, including the "Purgatory" police corruption trial involving high-profile Smer politician Tibor Gaspar. Gaspar denies the legislation was intended to help him personally in his legal disputes. Things went wrong again that afternoon when a bill to abolish postal voting from abroad was derailed because none of its sponsors appeared to present it. Under rules recently introduced by the coalition itself, the proposal could now be delayed for six months. Fico says he will negotiate with Taraba’s group and accepts that some bills may fail, though Smer still insists this is not a minority government.
