Related news story: Verhofstadt calls for 'Haider' sanctions against Hungary www.euractiv.com France has so far been the only EU country to raise concerns about the constitutional changes that took effect on 1 January. The other 26 nations and the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) -- to which Fidesz belongs -- maintain a 'deafening silence' on the issue. Guy Verhofstadt, president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), called for sanctions against Hungary like those used against Austria's rightist leader Jörg Haider in 2000 (see background). Under the Lisbon Treaty, the proposed sanctions could in fact be even tougher. "The treaties foresee a procedure to deal with such situations," Verhofstad said. "Unfortunately, the time has come to apply it to protect democracy and fundamental rights in Hungary and in the EU today, and avoid setting a dangerous precedent as well as a bad example for aspirant countries wishing to join the Union." In the Austrian case, the EU governments imposed sanctions under rules that allow them to act in case of risk of human rights violations, rather than their actual occurrence. Serious human rights breaches by a member state can result in a suspension or loss of voting rights in the Council under Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty. Critics say the constitutional changes and other laws enacted under Orbán's 2-year-old government weaken the independence of the judiciary, news media and the central bank.
Tags :Orban, Viktor Orban, Hungary, Europe, News, European Union, sanctions, EPP, Fidesz, politics, Jörg Haider, Guy Verhofstadt, Verhofstadt, ALDE, European Parliament, Constitution, euractiv.com, EUXTV, euractiv

The tilt to the right in Hungarian politics has also taken its toll on the country's cultural institutions. Now, the New Theatre in Budapest is planning to ban all non-Hungarian playwrights from its program. Budapest's mayor has appointed two new theatre directors: a right-wing nationalist and an anti-Semite. The move triggered widespread outrage in Hungary's arts scene, but that hasn't deterred one of the new theatre directors, György Dörner. He even wants to rename the performance hall. His is an open challenge to the theatre establishment, who mostly occupy the left-wing, liberal end of the political spectrum.
Tags :New Theatre Budapest, Censorship, György Dörner, Deutsche Welle, Germany, Deutschland, DW-TV, Information, Europa, European, Journal

www.euronews.net Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orban has brought in a new constitution in spite of strong criticism from the opposition at home and from other countries, European Union partners included. The centre-right Fidesz party government is moving ahead ignoring protesters who say the new moves are undemocratic. Orban's government has taken advantage of its huge majority in parliament to rewrite Hungary's constitution and pass a series of laws that would require a two-thirds majority to be changed. This includes cutting parliament to 199 from 386
Tags :euronews, Politics, Hungary

www.europeanideas.eu presents: A talk by Attila Mesterházy (Chairman of the Hungarian Socialist Party, MSZP) about the current political and economic situation in Hungary. The event took place at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna and was filmed by Lisa Schwarz.
Tags :Attila Mesterházy, Viktor Orbán, Hungarian politics, Hungary

More on this story on my blog: j.mp The choir of MPs in Hungary celebrated its 15th birthday with a special charity concert held in the building of the Hungarian Pairlament where the members usually work instead of singing. Audioslideshow by journalist Peter Murphy and press photographer Attila Volgyi. Music was recorded at the event.
Tags :sing, song, charity, choir, music, parliament, politics, audioslideshow

Ambassador of Hungary to the United States György Szapáry
Tags :Hungary, Kingdom Of Hungary, People's, Republic, Of, Hungarydiplomatic, connections, diplomacy, politic, political, Politics, Press, Conference, Meeting, interview, Ambassador, György, Szapáry, International, United, States

Sociologist Zsuzsa Gille places the October 4, 2010 toxic spill in Hungary and political reactions to it in context of the country's post-socialist transition and the rise of a peculiar right wing party that is implementing an anti-neoliberal agenda. She describes how locals make sense of the tragedy, include their views on the toxins in the reservoir, on victims, and on local politics. The seven-foot wave of red mud that burst from an alumina plant reservoir covered over 15 square miles, flooded towns, killed 10 people, injured over a hundred, and extinguished all wildlife in the Marcal river. Zsuzsa Gille is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her book, "From the Cult of Waste to the Trash Heap of History: The Politics of Waste in Socialist and Postsocialist Hungary," explains changing rationalizations, ideologies, and unintended consequences of industrial waste under state socialism and capitalism in Hungary. The World Beyond the Headlines is a project of the Center for International Studies, which brings scholars, journalists, and world leaders to the University to discuss issues of current global importance. For more information on this event, visit cis.uchicago.edu Information on the entire The World Beyond the Headlines series can be found at cis.uchicago.edu This program was organized by the University of Chicago Center for International Studies and co-sponsored by the Program on the Global Environment and the Center ...
Tags :toxic waste, toxins, Europe, European Union, reservoir, liberalism, socialism, capitalism, right, politics, alumina, Zsuzsa Gille, University of Chicago, Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, The World Beyond the Headlines

A discussion of recent developments in Hungary with Zoltan Kovács, Victor Sebestyen, György Schöpflin and George Szirtes. LSE, London, 7 March, 2012
Tags :Hungary, Politics, Schöpflin

Political scandal has rocked Hungary for the first time in its post-communist history as its president announced his resignation amid allegations of plagiarism. For full report and more videos see goo.gl
Tags :politics, Hungary, Pal Schmitt, news

Janos Kadar, Hungarian Premier, had been placed in power following the suppression of the 1956 rebellion. Together with Deputy Premier Gyorgy Marosan, Kadar was on his first foreign trip since taking power, attending the October 1st National Day Celebration in Beijing. This impromptu interview took place on October 5th, 1957 aboard a Soviet Tupolev 104-A jetliner flying from Beijing to Moscow. In it Kadar made the first public statement by a Communist leader criticising the previous Communist regime of Rakosi & Gero, whose repressive policies had fomented the October 1956 revolt.
Tags :Janos Kadar, Kadar, Gyorgy Marosan, Marosan, Hungary, Hungarian History, Hungarian uprising, Hungarian Politics, Tupoleve 104-A, Tupoleve

Tens of thousands protested Monday against Hungary's new constitution, which critics say curbs democracy, while the governing centre-right government celebrated the new law at a gala event.Duration: 00:23
Tags :WEB, HUNGARY, POLITICS, PROTEST

Dr. Kálmán Pócza (Pázmány Péter Catholic University) "Constitution making processes in comparison" and Dr. Artur Wołek (Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Science) "Informal rules and the Polish constitution" -- speeches recorded during an international seminar "Polish and Hungarian Constitutionalism -- Axiology and Political Dilemmas" (Krakow, 3rd February 2012), organized by Ośrodek Mysli Politycznej (Center for Political Thought - www.omp.org.pl), Wydział Studiów Międzynarodowych i Politycznych UJ (Deputy of International and Political Studies, Jagiellonian University) and Węgierski Instytut Kultury w Warszawie (Hungarian Institute of Culture, Warsaw).
Tags :Hungarian constitution, Polish constitution, Ośrodek Myśli Politycznej, Center for Political Thought

Elisabeth of Bavaria (24 December 1837 Munich/München/D 10 September 1898 Genf/Geneva/CH) was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary as spouse of Francis Joseph I. As such, she held also the titles Queen of Bohemia, Queen of Croatia and others. From an early age, she was called Sisi by family and friends (not "Sissi" like in the film). Elisabeth was born in Munich, Bavaria as Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria. She was the fourth child of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and her mother was Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. Her family home was Possenhofen Castle. 1853 Elisabeth accompanied her mother and her 18-year-old sister, Duchess Helene, on a trip to the resort of Bad Ischl, Upper Austria. Her mother hoped Helene would attract the attention of their maternal first cousin, 22-year-old Francis Joseph, then Emperor of Austria. Instead, Francis Joseph chose the 15-year old Elisabeth, and the couple were married a year later in Vienna at St. Augustine's Church on 24 April 1854. While Elisabeth had limited influence on Austro-Hungarian politics, she has become a historical icon. Elisabeth is considered to have been a free spirit who abhorred conventional court protocol and at the same time a tragic figure; she has inspired filmmakers and theatrical producers alike. The Empress wrote poetry (such as the "Nordseelieder" and "Winterlieder", both inspirations from her favorite German poet, Heinrich Heine). Shaping a fantasy in poetry, she referred to herself as Titania ...
Tags :Kaiserin Elisabeth, Habsburg, Habsburger, Wittelsbacher, Vienna, Wien, Bavaria, Bayern

Related news story: Verhofstadt calls for 'Haider' sanctions against Hungary www.euractiv.com France has so far been the only EU country to raise concerns about the constitutional changes that took effect on 1 January. The other 26 nations and the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) -- to which Fidesz belongs -- maintain a 'deafening silence' on the issue. Guy Verhofstadt, president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), called for sanctions against Hungary like those used against Austria's rightist leader Jörg Haider in 2000 (see background). Under the Lisbon Treaty, the proposed sanctions could in fact be even tougher. "The treaties foresee a procedure to deal with such situations," Verhofstad said. "Unfortunately, the time has come to apply it to protect democracy and fundamental rights in Hungary and in the EU today, and avoid setting a dangerous precedent as well as a bad example for aspirant countries wishing to join the Union." In the Austrian case, the EU governments imposed sanctions under rules that allow them to act in case of risk of human rights violations, rather than their actual occurrence. Serious human rights breaches by a member state can result in a suspension or loss of voting rights in the Council under Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty. Critics say the constitutional changes and other laws enacted under Orbán's 2-year-old government weaken the independence of the judiciary, news media and the central bank.
Tags :Orban, Viktor Orban, Hungary, Europe, News, European Union, sanctions, EPP, Fidesz, politics, Jörg Haider, Guy Verhofstadt, Verhofstadt, ALDE, European Parliament, Constitution, euractiv.com, EUXTV, euractiv

Europe 3D Hungary promo video created by 'MSZK' (BUTE College for Advanced Management Studies) and Máté Papp www.e3dhungary.com http Directed, photographed and edited by Máté Papp Mr Politics - András Nagy Miss Culture - Andrea E. Vizi Mr Economy - Balázs Füredi E3D coordinator: Aliz Simon E3D communication coordinators: Marina Jeszenszky and Eszter Penczer Budapest, 2011 GoldFish Pictures
Tags :hungary, budapest, europe3d, europe, bute, mszk, bme, promo, image, management, szak, kollégium, szakkkollégium, video

www.euronews.net Far-right activists in Hungary have burned the EU flag, calling for the country's exit from the bloc. Some 2000 demonstrators from the extremist Jobbik party gathered outside the European Commission offices in Budapest. They are angry that cash-strapped Hungary is under pressure to ditch new legislation that Brussels says may violate European laws and principles. "Not only us but many other countries now believe they could be better off outside the EU and then they would not have got into this situation," said protester Gyorgy Lillik, 63.
Tags :euronews, Demonstration, Hungary

While the European Commission is investigating Hungary's controversial new laws governing the media, Klubradio, the country's only opposition radio station, is fighting for survival. The media regulators plan to cancel the station's licence in March, with some arguing it's a set back for press freedom.Duration: 02:20
Tags :WEB, HUNGARY, MEDIA, POLITICS

An EU official has warned that talks with Hungary over emergency funding could be frozen and the country faces possible legal action if its controversial new constitution breaches European treaties. Full story at www.euractiv.com The new constitution entered into force on 1 January, accompanied by legislation which critics say undermine the independence of the central bank, the judiciary and the media - and entrench the position of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's ruling Fidesz party which is affiliated with the European People's Party. Tens of thousands of people protested in Budapest on Monday (2 January) alleging that the new laws are authoritarian. Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Orbán exchanged a series of letters at the end of December in which Barroso warned the prime minister not to jeopardise the independence of the Bank of Hungary, and re-iterated concerns about media independence. Constitution under scrutiny Commission spokesman Olivier Bailly said: "We received translations of the new constitution this morning [3 January], and our legal experts are examining them to assess whether our concerns have been addressed."
Tags :Hungary, constitution, media, law, Budapast, Orban, Viktor Orban, Fidesx, European, Union, European Commission, news, Hungarian, Brussels, press, conference, Politics, euractiv.com, EUXTV, euractiv

Neo-Nazi Protesters Clash with Police and Anti-Fascist Protesters over Transfer of Theater to The Far-Right As of February 1, Budapest's New Theater is under the directorship of the Hungarian far-right. And while the message of the theater's artists may have been too subtle (they bid farewell to their audience in proper style: their last collaboration was a stage adaptation of Thomas Mann's novel The Magic Mountain) , the anti-fascist protesters gathered outside the theater on the same day spoke out in much clearer terms against the political gains of far-right extremism. As if any further proof were required that fascism is more than just a fictional element in Hungarian public discourse, neo-nazi paramilitary groups disturbed the event by their counter-protest.
Tags :neo, nazi, protest, counter, hungary, anti, fascist, magyar, 2012, february, jobbik, fidesz, orban, vona, István, Tarlós, György, Dörner, csurka

www.euronews.net As the last opposition radio station in Budapest loses its licence, many fear the country is slipping from a liberal, to an authoritarian state. The finger of blame is pointed firmly at one man, Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Some journalists are taking their protests to the extreme, going on hunger strike over censorship, while members of the civil rights movement are voicing concerns over state interference in the judicial system. So are Hungary's basic values of democracy under threat?
Tags :euronews, reporter, Politics, Hungary