EUPopLink Country report - Hungary

Abstract

This country report, prepared as part of the EUPopLink COST Action, examines the populism–Euroscepticism nexus in Hungary. It traces how Fidesz, in government since 2010, evolved from a pro-European liberal party into the dominant case of populist radical right Euroscepticism in the European Union, framing its conflicts with Brussels in sovereigntist, civilisational and nativist terms while remaining a net beneficiary of EU funds. The report situates Fidesz alongside other relevant actors—Jobbik and its successor Mi Hazánk on the radical right, the liberal Momentum, and the new centre-right challenger Tisza—and analyses their respective positions on European integration and how they responded to Brexit, COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and Trump’s re-election. It further considers the strategic responses of pro-European opposition parties and the domestic and EU-level consequences of Fidesz’s “sovereignty-focused” Euroscepticism, including Article 7 proceedings, infringement procedures and rule of law conditionality. The report concludes with the watershed parliamentary elections of 12 April 2026, in which the pro-European Tisza Party ended sixteen years of Fidesz–KDNP rule, and reflects on what this signals for the future of the Hungarian populism–Euroscepticism nexus.