Crisis Chronology

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HUNGARY

12/15/2023

EU agrees to open membership talks about Ukraine. Hungary Prime Minister Orban leaves the room during the vote but blocks further aid to Ukraine and says he can still block Ukraine membership.

12/15/2023

EU agrees to open membership talks about Ukraine. Hungary Prime Minister Orban leaves the room during the vote but blocks further aid to Ukraine and says he can still block Ukraine membership.

09/25/2023

Hungary President Orban says he will not support Ukraine until Ukraine restores “former rights for ethnic Hungarians on its territory.”

04/28/2023

An agreement in principle is reached to restore Ukraine grain trade to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

04/16/2023

Poland and Hungary ban imports of Ukrainian wheat and other food products from Ukraine after a surge in cheap products impacts their markets. The European Commission criticizes the move, saying that trade policy is not the purview of individual nations in the EU. The EU lifted duties on grain from Ukraine at the beginning of the war, fearing widespread famine. Ukraine’s grain flowed into these countries, but largely stayed there, lowering prices. Farmers have been protesting. Ukraine says it is willing to negotiate.

03/19/2023

Erdogan says he will allow Finland to join NATO, but not yet Sweden. Hungary follows suit, saying Sweden’s admittance will be taken up later.

12/14/2022

Poland refuses to vote for EU agreement with Hungary over aid to Ukraine and aid to Hungary (and two other issues) over concerns about the minimum corporate tax rate plan.

12/13/2022

EU agrees to reduce frozen Hungarian funds and to provide COVID-19 relief funds. In exchange Hungary votes to provide €18 billion in aid to Ukraine.

12/06/2022

Hungary blocks further EU aid to Ukraine.

09/19/2022

Hungarian government submits the first of its anticorruption bills fo parliament in accordance with EU demands.

09/18/2022

EU executive council recommends withholding €750 billion from Hungary because of its failure to combat corruption and uphold the rule of law.

09/15/2022

EU parliament passes a resolution that Hungary is no longer a “full democracy,” and raising concerns about Hungary’s constitutional and electoral systems, judicial independence, possible corruption, public procurement irregularities, LGBTQ+ rights, as well as media, academic and religious freedom.

08/26/2022

Hungary issues licenses for two new nuclear reactors to be built by Russia, part of an agreement signed in 2014.

05/30/2022

EU bans two-thirds of the Russian oil that is being imported. However, Hungary is allowed to continue importing Russian oil indefinitely. It also acts to take Russia’s Sberbank out of the international banking communication network SWIFT and impose other sanctions.

05/29/2022

EU discussions about Russian oil embargo stall over countries that depend heavily on Russian energy, especially Hungary but also Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Inflation and projections of sluggish growth complicate the economic future.

05/24/2022

Hungarian legislature passes a constitutional amendment giving PM Orban emergency powers after he declares a “state of danger,” using the invasion of Ukraine as a reason to continue the authoritarian powers originally imposed as a result of COVID-19 that would have expired at the end of 5/22.

04/03/2022

Fidesz retains government

In voting for parliament today, Fidesz seems to be on track to win about a two-thirds majority.

03/29/2022

Opposition coalition struggles to break through the media dominance of Fidesz for April 3 election.

02/16/2022

European Court of Justice rejects Hungary’s and Poland’s challenge to the rule of EU law over local law, which will allow the EU to withhold funds to countries that violate stated EU norms.

10/18/2021

Peter Marki-Zay wins nomination for the combined opposition parties. He is not affiliated with a political party and is primarily running on opposition to Orban’s policies.

09/27/2021

Hungary signs natural gas deal with Russia, to be supplied through Serbia and Austria, which will deprive Ukraine of substantial income from transit payments.

07/21/2021

Government announces referendum on LGBTQ law that was the target of EU legal action.

07/15/2021

European Commission begins legal action against Hungary and Poland as a result of their laws discriminating against LGBTQ citizens. The process could result in financial penalties.

12/10/2020

EU leaders reach a compromise on stimulus funds that satisfies Hungary and Poland. Though the funds are still tied to rule-of-law guidelines, a country can take the case to the EU court, which can delay the imposition of restrictions substantially.

12/06/2020

Orban resigns after parliamentary election

Voting for Chamber of Deputies and Senate. The Social Democratic Party (PSD), led by Marcel Ciolacu, wins about 30% of the vote, and the ruling National Liberal Party (PNL) about 25%. The progressive USR-Plus Alliance, which had pledged not to join a PSD government, wins 15%. Orban resigns as prime minister. Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca is named interim prime minister. Turnout is very low.

11/17/2020

Hungary and Poland block EU budget intended to support countries hurt by COVID-19 pandemic, objecting to language that disburses the money to countries that uphold the EU’s rule-of-law standards.

11/09/2020

Government imposes curfew to combat spread of COVID-19.

10/06/2020

EU Court of Justice rules that Orban higher education laws violate the EU charter of rights. However, George Soros’s Central European University (which the law was primarily aimed at) will not reopen, he says, because there is insufficient academic freedom in Hungary.

09/17/2020

Government does not renew license of the last independent broadcasting radio station.

06/18/2020

EU Court of Justice rules that Hungary’s law about non-governmental organizations funding is illegal.

04/30/2020

Iohannnis accuses the PSD, which is the largest party in the Chamber of Deputies, of wanting to give Transylvania to Hungary. Marcel Ciolacu, leader of the PSD, denies this and says his party will not support the bill in the Senate.

04/29/2020

Legislation allowing the possibility of limited autonomy for part of Transylvania (the Szekely Land) is allowed to pass in the Chamber of Deputies. Because it was not debated in 45 days from its proposal, it automatically passes. Parliament has been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

04/23/2020

Orban using COVIC-19 pandemic aid to withhold tax receipts from opposition mayors.

03/31/2020

Parliament passes law giving Prime Minister Viktor Orban power to rule by executive decree. The constitutional Court is the only body that can oversee Orban’s decrees, and it is composed of Orban loyalists.

03/30/2020

Hungary receives €5.6 billion in aid for COVID-19 pandemic, despite censure of Orban’s autocratic rule.

03/27/2020

Hungary imposes national stay-at-home order due to COVID-19.

03/23/2020

Orban introduces an emergency bill, amid the COVID-19 crisis that would essentially allow him to rule by decree indefinitely. There are 167 cases of COVID-19, but testing has been scant.

11/07/2019

Victor Orban of Hungary meets with Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Hungary has defended Turkey’s invasion of Syria and hopes to keep Turkey’s Syrian refugees from being released to Europe. Turkey needs an ally among EU countries.

10/14/2019

Opposition leader Georgy Karacsony wins mayoralty of Budapest and other opposition candidates win in other cities. Fidesz still holds strong in the rural parts of Hungary.

03/20/2019

European People’s Party bloc in the EU parliament votes to bar Hungary’s Fidesz. PM Orban has said he will leave the EPP if this is the result.

12/16/2018

Protests against Orban government continuing.

12/13/2018

Large protests against changes to labor laws, especially one that would increase the number of overtime hours employers can ask workers to work from 250 to 400 and lengthen the period for paying it. It would effectively add eight hours to the work week and allow employers to bypass unions in scheduling the overtime. It is being called a “slave law.”

12/13/2018

Protests continue.

12/12/2018

Parliament passes a bill establishing administrative courts to handle government cases such as taxation and elections. Critics point out that the courts, which will begin in 2020, blur the separation of powers.

11/27/2018

Croatia’s relations with Hungary, while thawing, are exacerbated with Croatia asks Interpol to arrest head of Hungary’s largest oil company.

11/16/2018

Hungary accepts refugee claim by former Macedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski, who is being investigated for corruption in Macedonia.

09/12/2018

EU votes to sanction Hungary under Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty for eroding democracy and failing to uphold European values. The process could lead to Hungary losing its vote in the EU. Hungary vows to challenge the vote and Poland vows block sanctions.

07/19/2018

EU files complaint against Hungary for a law that criminalizes aiding asylum seekers.

11/03/2017

Fidesz running ahead in polls for election 4/18, advocating immigration control and economic benefits.