Search Results for: Hungary

The Council of Europe’s Venice Commission released an opinion Tuesday criticizing Hungary’s recent sovereignty protection law as a potential threat to free discourse. In light of its analysis, the Venice Commission ultimately recommended that the law be repealed. The opinion centers around Hungary’s Act LXXXVIII on the Protection of National Sovereignty, adopted in December 2023. [...]

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The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted the Media Freedom Act to protect journalists and press freedoms. The new law was adopted with 464 votes in favor, 92 against and 65 abstentions. The act forbids EU member states from compelling journalists to disclose their sources and deploying surveillance spyware against journalists. A new European Board for [...]

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Sweden officially joined NATO on Thursday as its 32nd member, nearly two years after first applying for membership to the military alliance. Earlier on Thursday, the Swedish government issued a statement in which it shared that it was holding an extraordinary government meeting to formally vote on joining the alliance after all current NATO members [...]

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Hungary’s parliament voted to ratify Sweden’s membership bid to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Monday, officially becoming the final NATO nation to approve of Sweden’s accession. As a result, Sweden is poised to become the thiry-second NATO member state upon formal invitation of NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Article 10 of the NATO Treaty [...]

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The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Thursday in M.H. and S.B. v. Hungary that Hungarian authorities violated Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights by arbitrarily detaining two minors who crossed the Hungarian border in 2016. Hungarian authorities detained the minors for about three and two months, respectively. The first minor was [...]

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Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report on Tuesday saying Hungary’s interference with media freedom and pluralism harms the rule of law. The report, titled “‘I Can’t Do My Job as a Journalist’: The Systematic Undermining of Media Freedom in Hungary,” outlines the obstacles faced by independent journalists and media under the leadership of Prime [...]

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Anti-facist protestors marched in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday in response to a previously banned right wing gathering to commemorate the “Day of Honour.” Activists travelled from across Europe to take part amid diplomatic tensions between Budapest and Rome, as an Italian anti-fascist activist remains imprisoned in Hungary. Celebrations of the ‘Day of Honour’ take place [...]

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The European Commission on Wednesday launched an infringement procedure against Hungary regarding the country’s national sovereignty law passed last December, claiming the new legislation violates EU law. Hungary’s national assembly adopted its law on the protection of national sovereignty on December 12, 2023, and the law has been in force since December 22, 2023. The [...]

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Türkiye’s President Tayyip Erdogan officially approved Sweden’s bid to join NATO on Thursday, marking the end of months of delay and leaving Hungary as the remaining hurdle to Stockholm’s NATO membership. The approval came about 20 months after Sweden first requested to join NATO in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Swedish Prime Minister [...]

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The Senate of the Czech Republic has voted against ratifying the Istanbul Convention, a convention from the Council of Europe (COE) intended to curb domestic violence and violence against women. Czech Minister for European Affairs Martin Dvořák expressed his frustration with the failed vote Thursday on X (formerly known as Twitter) calling it an “international disgrace.” [...]

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