Hungary’s social affairs minister has called for a comprehensive review of the country’s child protection system following talks with child welfare officials and a police investigation into alleged sexual abuse cases in a Csongrád-Csanád County institution.

‘Are you feeling the heat of this week’s heatwave? It is easy to lay the blame at the feet of climate change, but a new MCC Brussels analysis identifies an important and unacknowledged cause of your hot misery: the European Union’s relentless drive for sustainability over human comfort.’

Hódmezővásárhely Mayor Péter Márki-Zay, one of Péter Magyar’s earliest and most vocal supporters, has issued his strongest criticism yet of Hungary’s new government, warning that the country risks drifting toward a ‘new one-party system’. His criticism comes amid mounting controversy surrounding Tisza’s investigative committees and plans affecting municipalities.

The EU’s watchdog overseeing European political parties has formally launched a procedure that could ultimately strip the sovereignist Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) alliance—including AfD and Hungary’s Our Homeland—of its official status and EU funding. Supporters of the alliance described the move as a politically motivated attempt to suppress anti-immigration and nationalist forces across Europe.

Scandals are mounting around Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain. The offices of his Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party in Madrid, Spain, have just been raided by police to collect evidence for a corruption investigation.

The withdrawal process which had originally been initiated by the Orbán government seen by many as a gesture to Netanyahu.

Hungary’s governing Tisza Party moved closer Tuesday to establishing five investigative committees into alleged scandals and abuses during Viktor Orbán’s tenure, despite criticism from rights groups over proposed quasi-judicial powers. Vice President Márk Radnai said Orbán or family members could be escorted to parliament by police under the proposal.

A proposed constitutional amendment by Hungary’s governing Tisza party triggered backlash after initially seeking to remove references to protecting the country’s ‘Christian culture’ from the Basic Law. The government later revised the proposal, insisting the changes were aimed only at abolishing the Sovereignty Protection Office, amid criticism that the original amendment could weaken Hungary’s migration policy and constitutional identity.

The Makerfield by-election has become one of the most closely watched political battles in Britain as Keir Starmer faces mounting internal revolt and Reform UK attempts to consolidate its rise across northern England. The contest could simultaneously determine Andy Burnham’s political future, Reform’s credibility as a genuine anti-Labour force, and provide the first meaningful indication of Restore Britain’s actual electoral support.

‘Governor DeSantis dropped out of the race after a poor performance in the Iowa caucus, the first primary contest of 2024, and endorsed President Trump. Trump went on to win the largest share of the popular vote for a non-incumbent candidate in a primary contest for a major party…’

Hungary’s parliament could vote as early as Wednesday on a government proposal to reverse the country’s planned withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, reaffirming its commitment to international justice and human rights.

‘The United States no longer wishes to play the role of a “world government” that claims sole responsibility for maintaining the world order…The strategy makes clear that the United States’ partners must take responsibility for their own regions and play a more significant role within the transatlantic alliance system.’

Donald Tusk and the Civic Coalition suffered a major symbolic defeat after voters in Kraków overwhelmingly backed the recall of liberal Mayor Aleksander Miszalski. The result also highlighted growing right-wing cooperation between PiS and Konfederacja ahead of the 2027 parliamentary election.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected Friedrich Merz’s proposal to grant Ukraine EU ‘associate membership’ without full voting rights, insisting on complete membership instead. The debate has also shown that Viktor Orbán is far from the only obstacle to Kyiv’s integration into the bloc.

‘In recent years, the ECHR added a new legal rule, a new human right: the right for expelled foreigners to come back to Europe at the end of their re-entry ban.’

Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said Hungary aims to rebuild trust with European partners through a more constructive diplomatic approach, while maintaining firm positions on issues such as Ukraine, migration and the rights of ethnic Hungarians abroad.

Following devastating local election results, Labour faces internal pressure as leadership speculation grows. Bloomberg reports that some within the party are floating the idea of a long-term return to the EU, with figures such as Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham being increasingly open about wanting closer European ties.

Beijing emerged as one of the clear geopolitical winners of the past week after hosting both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin within days, with the summit diplomacy widely interpreted as a major symbolic victory for Xi Jinping. The meetings highlighted both the growing parity between China and the United States and Russia’s increasingly subordinate position within Beijing’s orbit.

‘The trajectory of Israel–Türkiye relations suggests that another reconciliation may emerge in the interest of both countries’ security, recalling the warmer ties enjoyed during the informal alignment between the governments of David Ben-Gurion and Adnan Menderes (The Peripheral Pact). However, developments in Iran and the upcoming Turkish elections may prove detrimental to such a rapprochement.’

The European Union is facing growing pressure to appoint a special envoy for potential Russia–Ukraine peace talks after former German Chancellor Angela Merkel argued that Europe must complement military support for Kyiv with a stronger diplomatic role. The following article examines the figures already being discussed as possible European mediators.

Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok said there is no constitutional basis for his resignation after Prime Minister Péter Magyar demanded the departure of several public office holders. In an interview with Index, Sulyok defended the constitutional role of the presidency and described the recent election as a government change rather than a regime change.

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar will visit Poland on Tuesday for his first official foreign trip since taking office, meeting Donald Tusk in what both governments describe as a new chapter in Polish–Hungarian relations. Budapest’s unusually large delegation, including six ministers, signals the growing closeness between the two governments.

Two-term Senator Bill Cassidy finished third with 25 per cent in Louisiana’s Republican Senate primary, failing to reach the run-off and set to leave office at the end of his term. He is the fifth of the seven GOP senators who voted to convict President Trump in 2021 to leave Congress. Meanwhile, Kentucky votes tomorrow as Trump ally-targeted Rep Thomas Massie fights to survive his primary.

‘Trump’s legacy in Europe, if current trajectories continue, may be the precise opposite of his intention, as laid out by the 2025 National Security Strategy. The president most hostile to European institutions may go down in history as the most effective catalyst for European unity since the Marshall Plan.’

Germany’s anti-immigration Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has reached a record 29 per cent in the latest INSA poll, placing the party just one point below the symbolic 30 per cent threshold while leading the governing CDU by seven points nationwide. The figures increasingly suggest that Germany may be approaching a political ‘20–30 moment’ similar to developments previously seen elsewhere in Europe, including France, Italy, and Hungary.

‘The first 22 years of Hungary’s EU membership offer a twofold lesson. On the one hand, EU membership alone is no guarantee of catching up…On the other hand, Hungary’s situation is by no means hopeless…The success of Hungary’s EU membership over the next two decades will ultimately be decided not in Brussels, but in Budapest.’

After 30 years, the West’s most ambitious nation-building project is collapsing under the weight of its own contradictions.

As Keir Starmer faces a mounting rebellion inside the Labour Party, his government has launched an aggressive crackdown on foreign right-wing activists expected to attend Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom rally in London on 16 May, triggering accusations that the prime minister is using political censorship to divert attention from Labour’s domestic crisis and his own policy failures.

The new Hungarian government is still in campaign mode, but in addition to sweeping up popularity and embarrassing the outgoing cabinet, the law factory has also started. The guidelines of the Tisza political ideology, which have been mostly hidden until now, will be revealed in the legislation.

A new Republikon Institute poll shows support for the Tisza Party rising to 57 per cent while backing for Fidesz–KDNP has fallen to 23 per cent amid exceptionally high voter engagement following Hungary’s parliamentary election.