Fidesz

"The governing body of Fidesz has decided to leave the EPP Group immediately," Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote in a letter to Manfred Weber, chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament. "The amendments to the rules of the EPP Group are clearly a hostile move against Fidesz and our voters."

Although national income indeed grew significantly after 2013 (on average around 4 per cent per year until the pandemic), the overall performance of the economy proved to be much bleaker than depicted on the government posters, even before the current crisis.

This conversion of universities from public institutions to privately managed entities involves handing over at least 600 million forints (1.7 million euros) in starter capital in cash or in-kind contributions (movable assets, real estate or intellectual property) or a combination of both, which will lay the ground for them to operate as non-profit institutions in the future.

A woman holds a Klubradio banner as thousands of people demonstrate in support of the Hungarian independent radio station in Budapest, Hungary, 22 January 2012. EPA/JANOA MARJAI

The heads of the diplomatic missions of EU Member States in the Republic of North Macedonia, led by EU Ambassador David Gere, at their regular annual meeting with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev showed particular interest in resolving open issues with the Republic of Bulgaria, which resulted in no consensus on the negotiating framework for North Macedonia in Brussels, reports the "Sloboden Pecat", qu

His statement, however, as unpicked below, is misleading; the outlets that are financially independent and able to withstand political influence neither operate as a uniform block, nor do they have 'oppositionism' as their primary mission.

"For now, we have agreement between Warsaw, Budapest and Berlin," Gowin, a moderate in Poland's ruling coalition, was reported as saying. "I believe this agreement will also include the 24 remaining European capitals."

According to sources close to the EPP Group, Orban's surprise proposal this week of a looser cooperation between Fidesz and the largest and oldest group in the European Parliament is an attempt to cut the Gordian knot and, at the same time, distract attention from the latest scandal to hit Fidesz in the European Parliament, following that of a gay orgy attended by a founder of Fidesz, which was

The Planet TV buyer, TV2 Média Csoport Zrt, was reportedly co-owned by Jozsef Vida, one of the wealthiest Hungarians, described as a member of the business circle around the ruling Hungarian party of Fidesz.

Jozsef Szajer, one of the so-called "dorm guys" - the closest confidants of Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the original founders of his Fidesz party - was forced to resign from the European Parliament and quit Fidesz after being busted in Brussels in what seems to have been a gay orgy involving 25 men and drugs.