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Hungary is headed for massive change with global impact By Lili Anna Lempek Is Peter Magyar just a more polished Viktor Orbán? That question has hovered over Hungary since the longtime strongman was finally voted out on April 12 after 16 years in power. Scepticism is understandable: Magyar’s a defector from Orbán’s Fidesz party, not an outsider who built his career...

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Cluj-Napoca (Romania) has filed an indictment at Cluj Court against four individuals for suspected fraud involving funds for young farmers, co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). According to the evidence, the defendants submitted false and inaccurate documents to Romania’s Agency for Financing Rural Investments (AFIR), responsible for managing EU...

Hungary’s incoming prime minister, Péter Magyar, announced on Facebook that the European Union flag will once again be displayed on the façade of the Parliament building alongside the Hungarian national flag and the Székely flag during the inaugural session of the National Assembly. The statement marks a symbolic reversal of an earlier decision. In July 2024, it was reported that...

The 2026 edition of Eurovision, which marks the competition’s 70th anniversary, is set to feature 35 countries and will be held in Vienna, Austria, from 12 to 16 May. Public broadcasters in Ireland, Spain, and Slovenia have opted not to televise this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, instead deciding to boycott the event in protest against Israel’s inclusion. After first having decided...

Romania's largest party, the Social Democrats (PSD) on Thursday resigned from the pro-European coalition ‌government of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, leaving a minority government and putting EU funds at risks. The Social Democrats had called on Bolojan, a ​center-right Liberal, to resign over cuts state spending to ​rein in largest budget deficit in the European Union. The party which pulled...

Timișoara marked Earth Day with the completion of three new urban regeneration projects, expanding the city’s green infrastructure through the creation of two mini urban forests and a 450-square-meter urban meadow along the banks of the Bega River.  Over recent weeks, the city has added more than 5,300 trees, shrubs and perennial plants through a series of biodiversity-focused interventions aimed...

Romania's communists twisted history in their favor and post-1989 education in schools have sometimes dismally failed to cover important aspects of Romania's often troubled history. While there have been steps_ Romanian schools will teach about the Holocaust and the history of communism, the private sector has stepped in to fill in some of the gaps. History is more than dates...

Germany has publicly announced a plan to reinforce the Bundeswehr (German armed forces) on its main task: defending Germany and its NATO allies.  Military strategy, force structure, capabilities, reserves, and personnel growth are being systematically aligned with the evolving threat environment.  This strategic and very public shift underscores Germany’s intention to assume a leading role within the NATO. The new foundational strategic...

A day after the Social Democrats ended its support for its own government this is what things look like: PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu’s reasons – weak from the get-go and with the occasional lie, or lies by omission – are looking even wetter. The sensation that the PSD wants to shirk its responsibilities is looking more obvious. The PSD...

The former businessman, lawmaker and power broker Vladimir Plahotniuc fled Moldova in 2019, as he faced a series of corruption charges. A court in Moldova sentenced on Wednesday oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc to 19 years in prison over the disappearance of $1 billion from the country’s banking system. The former businessman and lawmaker controlled Moldova as a "captured state" from 2013 to...