Hungary has prepared for the EU Presidency diligently and succeeded in putting its own topics on the agenda, such as the European Roma Strategy. No one had expected it to be a light run.

The 2011 spring legislative agenda foreshadows a more moderate pace. The government explains it by the heavy workload related to the rotating EU-presidency and the drafting of the new Constitution.

2011 is the year Central Europe took over Brussels. Hungary will be at the helm of EU's rotating presidency for the next six months, to be followed by Poland in the second half of the year.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who steamrollered over virtually all obstacles to his rule in 2010, will spend the first part of 2011 navigating the pitfalls of power.

A Joint Conference by Political Capital Institute and Central European University.

As Hungary packs up its Bermuda shorts for a six-month stay at the Brussels beach, it might be fair to ask: What exactly do we expect to get out of this?

Eastern Europe’s Roma, also known as Gypsies, are desperate to break out of the grinding poverty in which many of them live - but they frequently see little hope of doing so in their home countries.

A kedvező fejlemények mégsem garantálják, hogy a kormánypártokénál szélesebb egyetértés jegyében születik majd meg az új választási rendszer.

Now that voters have handed PM Viktor Orbán what amounts to a blank cheque to govern, he is ready to begin the second phase of his governance: cleaning up the budget mess and spurring economic growth

Jobbik infighting, identity crisis throw wet blanket on far-right surge

Key Political Trends: Half-success: Budget deficit aims 3%; Restricting the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court; Ferenc Gyurcsány’s two-front battle against Fidesz and the MSZP leadership