In Brussels, where power often hides in plain sight, few know its rhythms better than former diplomat Gábor Baranyai. A two-time envoy to the European capital and a seasoned legal expert, Baranyai’s career path reflects not only the arc of Hungarian diplomacy, but also the institutional undercurrents shaping the EU’s political core.
For years, the EU has branded itself as global regulator. With a slowing economy, it promises to reverse past decisions. But its economy will only thrive if it abandons this indecisive course. Its U-turn over banning internal combustion engines is a case in point.
Poland faces a challenging period of political cohabitation following the country’s presidential election, which has returned a right-wing head of state while the pro-European coalition government led by Donald Tusk retains its fragile hold on parliament.
A coalition of prominent European free-market think tanks, including the Warsaw Enterprise Institute, Prosum Foundation, and Foro Regulación Inteligente, has sent a strongly-worded open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. They urge a comprehensive overhaul of European Union regulations and governance to foster innovation and boost economic growth amid fierce global competition.
In an era marked by intensifying geopolitical shifts, rising protectionism, and digital fragmentation, transatlantic cooperation between the United States and the European Union faces a critical juncture. At the heart of this moment is the consumer: a figure too often overlooked in policy debates, yet profoundly impacted by the rippling consequences of trade wars, regulatory divergence, and economic uncertainty.
“In international politics, we Hungarians are the only ones who have consistently said the same things as Trump since 2010. That’s why, in America, they see us as having been ‘Trump before Trump,’” said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in a December 2024 interview. There are many reasons to criticize Orbán, but he was not wrong in this statement. While Hungarian and American politics are not identical – given their vastly different historical, cultural, religious, and economic contexts – the form of global populism that Orbán himself calls “illiberalism” was pioneered by him in the Western world. And it began in 2010.
The events of the past few days have once again highlighted the fragility of the relationship between the United States and Europe, particularly concerning the war in Ukraine. US policy increasingly points to a desire to end the war over the heads of those involved, while Europe does not seem to be finding the correct answers to the situation.
Europe is at a crossroads. The continent’s economic engine, long admired for its stability and innovation, is losing momentum. Rising competition from the United States and China, combined with a growing regulatory burden, threatens to make Europe uncompetitive on the global stage. Faced with this reality, the EU must confront a hard truth: overregulation is strangling its economic potential. If Europe wants to remain a global leader, deregulation isn’t just an option – it’s a necessity.
The EU’s proposed Chat Control regulation goes against European values without achieving its aim to protect children.
There used to be a saying in communist Hungary plagued by surveillance, censorship, and lack of free expression: “If you have sensitive thoughts, don’t talk about them. If you talk about them, don’t put them into writing. If you put them into writing, don’t sign it. If you signed it, don’t be surprised.”
Romania has found itself amid a political crisis. The Constitutional Court’s decision to annul the presidential election results is a shocking political event, and a significant reflection of the deepening divides in Romania’s political landscape and its strained democratic institutions. This decision made just two days before the final round of voting, has sparked heated debates about the role of the judiciary, the influence of foreign powers, and the integrity of Romania’s electoral process. The surreal irony of watching voters in the diaspora cast their ballots on live TV, even after learning of the Court’s decision, highlights the chaotic nature of the situation. In just two weeks, Romania has gone from a relatively calm and stable democracy—recently admitted into the Schengen Area—to a nation on the brink of a constitutional crisis.
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