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DW
05-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
Central Europe's right-wing populist networks up their game – DW – 06/05/2025
Bolstered by Donald Trump's reelection and their recent successes at the polls, Europe's right-wing populists are working together to push their narratives across Europe and build an international alliance. Leaders and aspiring leaders from across Europe's right-wing populist political spectrum gathered in the Hungarian capital last week for CPAC Hungary 2025, the fourth Budapest edition of the US Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). While there, they aired their grievances over what they see as the threat to national sovereignty posed by the EU and "gender and woke madness" and heralded the dawn of the "Age of Patriots." Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban was the star turn at the event, preaching to the converted, some of whom had travelled from across the globe to attend. Orban celebrated the chaos wrought by the "Trump tornado" and called on "conservatives" to seize the opportunity it offers: "We have to go home, and everyone has to win their own election. After America, we Europeans will take back our dreams and occupy Brussels!" A 'beacon' for like-minded politicians It's an ambitious call because although the leaders of Germany's AfD, Spain's Vox and Austria's Freedom Party (FPO) have all made considerable strides in recent elections and were represented on the podium in Budapest, right-wing and far-right populists govern few European states — except in the east. 'The European edition of CPAC is a statement of what the global far right longs for: power like Viktor Orban's,' says Hungarian MEP Klara Dobrev. Pictured here: Viktor Orban at CPAC Hungary in 2024 Image: Szilard Koszticsak/MTI/AP/Picture Alliance Also in the spotlight at CPAC was a high-profile trio from central Europe: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, former and possibly future Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Orban has worked to make the region a hub for right-wing populists and has built a network to broadcast his success in doing so as a beacon for like-minded politicians and parties across the globe. Spreading the message from east to west "There's transnational learning now moving from east to west in Europe, which is pretty rare," Daniel Hegedus from the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMFUS) told DW. Both Orban and CPAC have done much in this respect, but so, too, have influence networks that are funded and organized by governments as well as grassroots political and religious groups that have spread across the region and beyond. US President Donald Trump's reelection was welcomed by right-wing populists across Europe. Pictured here: Trump delivers a video message to CPAC Hungary 2023 Image: Tibor Illyes/ASSOCIATED PRESS/picture alliance They all help to link and bind together right-wing populist forces and to push their narratives into the wider public realm. Hungary and Poland are the key axis Institutions funded by the Hungarian government sit at the core of these influence networks. They include the Danube Institute, Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) and the Center for Fundamental Rights, which organized CPAC Hungary 2025. With branches spreading across the region and further afield, these bodies gather like-minded academics and activists at events and run media outlets not only in central and eastern Europe, but in Brussels and the UK, too. These outlets include The European Conservative, Brussels Signal and Remix. MCC, which runs colleges in Hungary, Slovakia and Austria, also cooperates with staunchly conservative groups linked to the Catholic Church, such as Poland's Ordo Iuris. Hungary and Poland form the key axis in this network, Zsuzsanna Szelenyi, a former MP for Orban's Fidesz party and now director at the Central European University's Democracy Institute, told DW. 'Igniting a chain reaction' Analysts at Political Capital, a Budapest-based think tank, say these networks are intended to "ignite a chain reaction and bring about change on a European scale," thus halting EU efforts to stop Orban's assault on Hungary's democracy and ensure his regime's survival. Demonstrators in Budapest march in silence, many with their mouths taped shut, in protest at a planned law that would allow the government to sanction 'foreign-funded' NGOs and media Image: Ferenc Isza/AFP "The European edition of CPAC is a statement of what the global far right longs for: power like Viktor Orban's," says Klara Dobrev, an MEP for the left-wing Hungarian opposition party Democratic Coalition. And it is certainly true that Hungary's strongman prime minister is leading by example. His domination of political power in Hungary wins admiring glances from others who seek to copy his playbook. Orban wants to entrench his power with a new "transparency law" that would allow his government to blacklist organizations it feels "threaten the sovereignty of Hungary by using foreign funding to influence public life." Critics warn that the bill, which was inspired by repressive Russian legislation, will muzzle all criticism. They also fear that other governments will follow suit. "We're working with partners in many other EU countries," Marta Pardavi of the Hungarian NGO Helsinki Committee, told an online panel discussion on Hungary's proposed transparency law hosted by GMFUS on May 28. "They're keenly aware such laws can be reproduced. The EU is not only a single market but is becoming an illiberal market," she said. Chilling effect on NGOs in Slovakia Since regaining power in 2023, Slovakia's Robert Fico has pushed through similar, albeit less stringent legislation in Slovakia, with "political NGOs," such as legal watchdog Via Iuris, a particular target. Thousands gathered in Bratislava to protest the policies of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico in January. The placard reads 'We don't want dictatorship' Image: Denes Erdos/AP/dpa/picture alliance Katerina Batkova, executive director of Via Iuris, told the panel that the effect has been "chilling," with fear spreading through organizations about how to comply with the new rules, which appear to be deliberately vague in order to give the authorities the opportunity to crack down. Will populist Babis return to power in Prague? Following their celebration of Karol Nawrocki's narrow triumph in Poland's presidential election on Sunday, the region's illiberal forces are looking to the Czech Republic for their next boost. The country is due to elect a new parliament in October, and Andrej Babis and his ANO party look likely to win. The Czech billionaire has become more radical as he hunts a return to power, and last year joined Orban, France's Marine Le Pen and 11 other European parties in establishing the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament. "A Babis victory would allow Orban to say illiberals have a majority in Visegrad, with Poland the outlier," notes Hegedus. Is the momentum with the right-wing populists? Yet while Orban's networks have successfully helped push far-right narratives into the European mainstream, he's struggled for years to build a working international alliance. US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attended the CPAC event in Poland last week and urged Poles to vote for Karol Nawrocki, who went on to win last weekend's presidential runoff Image: Alex Brandon/Pool/REUTERS It remains to be seen if Patriots for Europe will offer the influence over EU policy he craves, or how stable it will prove. The leaders of France's far right, for example, did not attend CPAC Hungary 2025. And Babis' business empire is spread across the EU, which means that he tends to tread carefully in Brussels. US President Donald Trump's reelection has helped deepen ties and coordination with right-wing populist and nationalist groups from the US, which saw CPAC debut in Poland just ahead of the country's presidential election on June 1. However, just how much momentum Trump might actually deliver is far from clear. While US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made a keynote speech at CPAC Poland, urging Poles to vote for Karol Nawrocki, no senior US officials travelled to Budapest for the Hungarian CPAC event. Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan
Budapest Times
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Gulyás: Hungary has always represented peace
Gergely Gulyás, Head of the Prime Minister's Office, said Hungary is currently the representative of normality in Europe. Gergely Gulyás, Head of the Prime Minister's Office, said Hungary has always represented peace, and 'we stood in support of peace during the Russia-Ukraine war even when European liberals and members of the US Democratic Party clearly stood in support of war'. Gulyás told CPAC Hungary that Hungary was currently the representative of normality in Europe. 'Actually, we are the centre, but in the Western world, they have been trying to push the centre, common sense, to the sidelines for several decades. It also required a betrayal by the Western European right, too,' he said. 'Change is needed, and there is currently a chance for it,' he said. 'The joining of forces that has developed thanks to CPAC since the foundation of the Patriots party alliance between conservative right-wing European parties and the US gives us a chance to return traditional European values to the focus of politics, also in Western government policies.'
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
On 'personal time' in Hungary, SOS Diego Morales touts Trump, Indiana at CPAC conference
Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales posted a photo on social media on May 30 highlighting that he was spending "personal time" in Europe with his wife. Less than an hour later, he was on stage at a Conservative Political Action Conference in Hungary where he gave a speech touting President Donald Trump's leadership and Indiana's investment "in international partnerships" during his time in office. Morales spoke for just under six minutes on the second day of the CPAC Hungary event during a segment titled "No border, No order." But Morales made a point to highlight a recent visit Hungarian officials made to the Indiana Statehouse when his wife, who is a Hungarian immigrant, was recognized as the honorary consul of Hungary to Indiana. "President Trump believes in America first, but that does not mean America alone," Morales said. "In Indiana, we are also investing in international partnerships. Just recently, we welcomed the Hungarian ambassador, the deputy speaker of the house and other dignitaries to strengthen economic and cultural ties." In his remarks he praised Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban as "a great leader" and highlighted his 2022 victory "as the first Hispanic Latino elected to a statewide office." He drew connections between Trump and his elected office. "As Indiana Secretary of State, I oversee our elections in Indiana, and I am proud to say that under Republican leadership, including President Trump's renewed focus on election integrity, we have strengthened confidence in our electoral system," Morales said. But the CPAC Hungary speech comes amid heightened criticism of the secretary of state's travels in recent months for trips that statewide elected officials and lawmakers have criticized for going beyond the scope of his office. In March, he traveled to India for a privately-funded "economic development" trip, which is outside the primary functions of his office. A spokesperson for Morales this week said he was away for the week on "personal time," language he has used in multiple posts on X about his travels in Hungary. But social media posts and news articles indicate he has also taken meetings with Hungarian officials. "Secretary Morales receives invitations for meetings and functions throughout the year as his title remains Indiana Secretary of State at all times," Spokeswoman Lindsey Eaton said in an email to IndyStar on May 28. Morales' speech was not his first at the CPAC Hungary event. He also spoke at the conference in 2023. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany. Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, curated by IndyStar politics and government reporters. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: What Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales said at CPAC Hungary
Indianapolis Star
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
On 'personal time' in Hungary, SOS Diego Morales touts Trump, Indiana at CPAC conference
Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales posted a photo on social media on May 30 highlighting that he was spending "personal time" in Europe with his wife. Less than an hour later, he was on stage at a Conservative Political Action Conference in Hungary where he gave a speech touting President Donald Trump's leadership and Indiana's investment "in international partnerships" during his time in office. Morales spoke for just under six minutes on the second day of the CPAC Hungary event during a segment titled "No border, No order." But Morales made a point to highlight a recent visit Hungarian officials made to the Indiana Statehouse when his wife, who is a Hungarian immigrant, was recognized as the honorary consul of Hungary to Indiana. "President Trump believes in America first, but that does not mean America alone," Morales said. "In Indiana, we are also investing in international partnerships. Just recently, we welcomed the Hungarian ambassador, the deputy speaker of the house and other dignitaries to strengthen economic and cultural ties." In his remarks he praised Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban as "a great leader" and highlighted his 2022 victory "as the first Hispanic Latino elected to a statewide office." He drew connections between Trump and his elected office. "As Indiana Secretary of State, I oversee our elections in Indiana, and I am proud to say that under Republican leadership, including President Trump's renewed focus on election integrity, we have strengthened confidence in our electoral system," Morales said. But the CPAC Hungary speech comes amid heightened criticism of the secretary of state's travels in recent months for trips that statewide elected officials and lawmakers have criticized for going beyond the scope of his office. In March, he traveled to India for a privately-funded "economic development" trip, which is outside the primary functions of his office. A spokesperson for Morales this week said he was away for the week on "personal time," language he has used in multiple posts on X about his travels in Hungary. But social media posts and news articles indicate he has also taken meetings with Hungarian officials. "Secretary Morales receives invitations for meetings and functions throughout the year as his title remains Indiana Secretary of State at all times," Spokeswoman Lindsey Eaton said in an email to IndyStar on May 28. Morales' speech was not his first at the CPAC Hungary event. He also spoke at the conference in 2023. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.
Gulf Insider
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Slovak PM Fico Warns EU's "Mandatory Political Opinion" Spells End Of Common European Project
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico delivered a stark warning to fellow European leaders during his speech at CPAC Hungary in Budapest on Thursday, declaring that the European Union's attempt to impose a 'mandatory political opinion' on its member states signals the collapse of the European project and a departure from democratic values. 'The imposition of a mandatory political opinion, the abolition of the veto, the punishment of the sovereign and the brave, the new Iron Curtain, the preference for war over peace. This is the end of the common European project. This is a departure from democracy. This is the precursor of a huge military conflict,' he warned. Fico's remarks came as he revealed both he and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had received threats from 'a particularly nervous new German chancellor,' who warned them that if they did not fall in line with Brussels' uniform view on military support for Ukraine and sanctioning Russia, ''You will be punished.'' 'No one in a peaceful and democratic project should have the right to treat other EU member states in this way, regardless of their size and economic strength,' he said. Fico, a veteran of Slovak politics who survived an assassination attempt last year, framed his overall remarks as a defense of national sovereignty in the face of what he described as increasing aggression from Brussels and major EU powers. 'I do not want to see our sovereignty and the national identity melt away in the generalist supranational, international structures, especially those in Brussels,' he said. While acknowledging his left-wing roots, Fico distanced himself from what he called the 'Brussels kind' of social democracy, instead describing himself as a 'rural socialist' focused on defending Slovakia's traditions, Christian heritage, and national interests. 'As a strong leftist, I have no problem spending the night with the people on the production line to support higher night shift allowances or wage increases,' he said. Click here to read more…
