The Hungarian parliamentary elections on April 12 have never been so risky for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his party, Fidesz, which has held unchallenged power for sixteen years. Despite its smaller population and domestic challenges, the illiberal regime in Budapest has managed to establish itself as a major player in European politics: strategic use of the veto in the European Council, an openly pro-Russian policy, blocking any further steps toward integration, and rhetorical attacks on federalists.

As Hungary has established itself as a testing ground and model for nationalist and populist parties in Europe and across the Atlantic, what impact could a change in government have on the European Union? What stance toward Europe does Viktor Orbán’s main opponent, Péter Magyar, embody? Can Hungary, one of the historically most pro-European countries in Central Europe, redefine the balance of power in Brussels and Strasbourg? Will other countries, such as Slovakia, be able to supplant Hungary as the standard-bearer of illiberalism?

We were pleased to welcome:

• Eszter Nagy, President of the Hungarian section of the UEF, former diplomat
• Moderated by Charles Nonne, spokesperson for the UEF France, who lived in Hungary for many years and is fluent in Hungarian.