Hungary's new government reverses ICC withdrawal plan

Hungary reverses plan to leave the International Criminal Court

Hungary’s new centre-right prime minister, Péter Magyar, has announced changes to the country’s foreign policy direction, including reversing plans to leave the International Criminal Court and reintroducing restrictions on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products. “The government is withdrawing Hungary’s intention to leave the International Criminal Court and is banning the import of agricultural products from Ukraine,” Magyar wrote on X.

In 2025, Hungary’s previous government backed a proposal to withdraw from the ICC after a visit to Budapest by Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for whom the court had issued an arrest warrant. The withdrawal process was due to conclude on 2 June 2026. Since his election victory, Magyar has repeatedly said Hungary would remain a member of the court, stressing the importance of complying with international obligations, including enforcing decisions relating to wanted individuals.

Independent Balkan media outlets set to be sold to Orban-linked fund

A major Balkan media group known for its independent journalism is quietly being prepared for a sale to an investment fund linked to the political orbit of former nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which cited a leaked draft contract. The report said United Group was preparing to sell media assets, including the N1 and Nova television networks, described as “rare bastions of critical reporting” in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, and Montenegro.

The official buyer is listed as European Future Media Investments, a Luxembourg-based investment fund, but details in the draft contract point to the investment firm Alpac Capital. The company previously acquired a majority stake in Euronews in a deal that was reportedly heavily financed by Hungarian state capital and businesses linked to Orbán’s propaganda network.

Magyar greeted with military salute in Vienna

Péter Magyar was welcomed with a military salute at Vienna’s Ballhausplatz, outside the Austrian chancellor’s office, during the latest stop of his first foreign trip since taking office. The Hungarian prime minister arrived in the Austrian capital from Gdańsk alongside several members of his cabinet, including foreign minister Anita Orbán, transport and investment minister Dávid Vitézy, energy and economy minister István Kapitány, and living environment minister László Gajdos. After talks with Austria’s chancellor, Christian Stocker, the two leaders addressed a range of issues at a joint press conference, including asbestos contamination in western Hungary linked to aggregates from Austrian mines, transport cooperation, special taxes and energy diversification. Stocker said he was confident cooperation between the two countries would improve, describing the Hungarian election result as significant beyond Hungary’s borders because, in his view, it showed that a large majority of Hungarians had rejected isolationism in favour of a civic approach.

Stocker said the two sides had also discussed Hungary’s special taxes, which Austria views as discriminatory towards Austrian companies, adding that resolving these disputes would help build trust through dialogue. “We are stronger together when we act as a region,” he said, arguing that closer cooperation would also strengthen both countries’ voices in Brussels. He stressed the importance of improving competitiveness and avoiding dependence on external actors. Referring to the war in Ukraine and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, Stocker said European unity was now more important than ever. “Both Hungary and Austria are committed to the European Union,” he said, while adding that although both countries supported EU enlargement, “there is no fast lane, and there are no shortcuts”.