Zselyke Csaky

This seems to be an emerging issue but will other member states follow Warsaw? Here's a detailed report on risks associated with Chinese intelligent and connected vehicles from the OSW www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacj...

On The World 🌎 today:

@joshuacoe.bsky.social: Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on fighting from abroad

@orlabarry.bsky.social: The future of Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule is uncertain

🌐 Russia's opposition movement still exists — but it's 'rudderless'

Tune in 📻 bit.ly/3xyRRfD

The EPP has a long tradition of shielding its own against EU scrutiny on the rule of law. It long protected Orbán when Fidesz was still member of the EPP, and now it is blocking rule of law fact finding missions to Meloni‘s Italy, who has become an important EPP ally.

Q&A: Jérôme Lefilliâtre on the Czech oligarch cornering the French media market In the spring of 2018, Daniel Křetínský, a billionaire from the Czech Republic, agreed to acquire a group of French magazines, including Elle, the famous fashion and lifestyle publication. After that ...

Also, a welcome change compared to earlier CEE investments in WEurope and concerns re oligarch takeover www.cjr.org/q_and_a/lefi...

EUobserver joins journalist-owned publisher Denník N EUobserver, the independent online media covering European Union affairs, on Tuesday announced that it is joining journalist-owned Slovak publishing house Denník N, in a bid to strengthen its long-ter...

Dennik N investing in EUObserver is your rare good news about media sustainability. Dennik has been an outlier, bucking the trend of closures & falling readership in Slovakia (and frankly, globally) euobserver.com/203123/euobs...

As EU politics looks more and more nervously at the elections in 2027, expect a very packed decision-making agenda in the second half of 2026, with this just one of many examples:

"if you face things that threaten the stability of your country, I know that President Trump would be very interested" is an interesting thing to read weeks ahead of elections for which Orban is trailing behind badly.

The FT reporting says the Commission may release fresh funding, as part of the SAFE pot.

I would extradite ex-Polish justice minister Ziobro on day one, says Hungarian opposition leader

Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar has declared that, if he wins April's elections, his government would immediately extradite former Polish justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who was recently granted asylum in Hungary, back to Poland, where he is wanted on criminal charges.

And of course, the broder context would make it even worse given the AG opinion lambasting the Commission for unfreezing €10B earlier. As @profpech.bsky.social noted here with non-existent reasoning bsky.app/profile/prof...

Looks like this reporting is about releasing the first tranche of SAFE. But if Hungary does receive the €2.4B, that'd directly contradict what Commissioner Serafin said two weeks ago, that SAFE is subject to conditionality audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/media/video/...

Polish polls: KO remains comfortably ahead of PiS, with Konfederacja, KKP and Lewica also getting seats.

UK overseas aid cuts to outstrip those of Trump administration Spending will drop 27% this year from 2024 levels to help fund higher defence budget

Cuts to overseas aid by the UK are set to go further and faster than those made by the Trump administration in the US, as Sir Keir Starmer’s government wrestles with funding pressures

www.ft.com/content/ad52...

De vier landen van Centraal-Europa waren hecht, maar Boedapest en Warschau staan nu tegenover elkaar De Visegrádgroep bestaat 35 jaar, maar meningsverschillen over Oekraïne en de EU splijten Polen en Hongarije. Wat betekent dit voor Centraal-Europa?

De Visegrádgroep, een alliantie van Polen, Hongarije, Tsjechië en Slowakije, bestaat vandaag 35 jaar. De Russische aanval op Oekraïne heeft het verbond in tweeën gesplist.

www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/... in @nrc.nl

Dank aan @zecsaky.bsky.social en @ivovdw.bsky.social

So this is exactly what many of us were watching (and frankly, were a bit surprised it didn't happen earlier). The details are fuzzy but this would show a much more strategic foreign policy reorientation in the US and really start putting that National Security Strategy into practice.

After years of resistance, leaders finally say EU should go at different speeds Summit in Belgian castle sees governments acknowledge Europe urgently needs to change the way it functions if it’s not going to be left behind.

The idea to unblock the Single Market deepening agenda with a multi-speed approach a.k.a. Enhanced Cooperation seems extremely weird to me both in principle and politically especially if the goal is "One Market".

Here is why:

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Dear friends on Bluesky, it's been an overwhelming week since the mass layoff at the Post. I'll be continuing the work and would be so grateful if you sign up here to keep up with my future journalism. docs.google.com/forms/d/1dlh...

Also an updated chart showing where things stand with EU funds to Hungary. (I know it's ugly, sorry!) If the €10B is rolled back, it would have a massive impact.

Adding to this excellent explanation of today's AG opinion that conditionality has been the EU's most powerful tool on rule of law to date. But the problems highlighted are not new. See an earlier assessment here www.cer.eu/insights/fre...

6/ The implication is clear: the EU cannot unfreeze money that were blocked due to rule of law deficiencies for political reasons. It can only be done based on actual reforms.

If the Court follows the opinion, it will be big for rule of law conditionality in the EU.

Indeed, both AG opinions are important for Hungary but this one could have broader rule of law implications, including for Poland. And not to mention a potential new Hungarian government.

TLDR: the program is heavy on big promises (new constitution! new electoral law!) but slim on details. The exception is the media, but the rule of law section is shorter than most other. This is not surprising though – Tisza’s room for maneuver will depend on the scale of its victory.

Can Hungary's opposition win and restore democracy? After 15 years, Viktor Orbán could lose power. But the opposition’s path is fraught with obstacles, from a lopsided electoral system to the extraordinary difficulty of restoring democracy even if they...

OK let me pick up this thread and turn to Tisza’s ideas on the rule of law and democracy. And before we look into the details, a reminder of what difficulties lie ahead for winning the election in Hungary and governing afterwards: www.cer.eu/insights/can...

The rise of vice-signalling: how hatred poisoned politics Over the last 10 years, the terms of political debate have changed completely – and week by week they seem to get worse

This piece by @zoesqwilliams.bsky.social is very good and well worth your time. Building on the brilliant work by Ruth Wodak and with important insights from @timbale.bsky.social

When you read a sentence three times and still aren't sure what it says... you realize it must be about the Polish rule of law saga. It never ends!

CC other Hungary/EU/rule of law aficionados @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social @profpech.bsky.social @mattsteinglass.bsky.social @kimlanelaw.bsky.social @jmorijn.bsky.social @rdanielkelemen.bsky.social

Yes, you read that right. What's the context? The ruling majority, after deliberating for 2 years, has set out to finally start filling the increasingly vacant seats at the Tribunal. Apparently, PiS wants to stop that dead in its tracks and, to do so, has set out to discard its own legislation. 2/

Applications are now open for the 13th Clara Marina O’Donnell fellowship, full details below.
Start date: October 2026 for six months
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Applications in by: 09/04/26
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buff.ly/3vV64SZ

TLDR: are those saying Tisza would be Fidesz lite correct? Yes and no. Based on its program, it’s shaping up to be a right-wing govt with somewhat sovereigntist undertones. But its commitment to norms and membership in the EU & NATO would clearly distinguish it from Fidesz.

Hungary's opposition Tisza promises wealth tax, euro adoption in election programme Hungary's opposition Tisza party plans to introduce a wealth tax for the rich, adopt the euro currency and firmly anchor Hungary in the European Union and NATO, its 240-page election programme publish...

With Hungary’s elections only 2 months away, let’s look at what the opposition promises when it comes to the EU, rule of law & Hungary’s alliances. Media coverage highlighted euro adoption and independence from RU energy by 2035 but there's much more in the program
www.reuters.com/business/hun...