Strategic Geography
🇭🇺Hungary
Hungary is an EU member that has spent years at odds with Brussels over the rule of law and frozen funds, and has been among Beijing’s and Moscow’s closest partners inside the bloc. Viktor Orbán’s party lost the April 2026 election; this section follows how a new government recalibrates relations with the EU, China and Russia.
2 analyses
After Vučić: What Serbia's Change of Government Means for China, Russia and the EU
On 25 October 2026 Serbia's Student List won a snap election and ended 14 years of Progressive Party rule. The movement grew out of protests over a station canopy, renovated by Chinese contractors, that collapsed and killed 16 people. The new majority promises to publish contracts, but it keeps the partnership with China, opposes sanctions on Russia and takes a harder line on Kosovo, an obstacle on the road to the EU.
Behind Billions of Euros: The Institutional Struggle Between Hungary and the European Union
To unlock up to €10 billion in frozen EU recovery funds, Hungary tabled Bill T/174, overhauling its anti-corruption oversight and asset disclosure rules. The standoff shows how the EU is using its budget as leverage to enforce the rule of law.