EPICENTER

In Expresso.pt, Epicenter’s analysts presented the network’s bold Alternative EU Budget proposal, challenging the European Commission’s plans for a significantly larger budget by advocating a cap at 1% of Gross National Income. The analysis highlights deep cuts to inefficient spending and a reorientation toward competitiveness and growth, questioning whether EU member states are prepared to move away from ever-expanding budgets toward a leaner, more effective European fiscal framework.

In Expresso.pt, Epicenter’s Adam Bartha analyzed the early steps of Péter Magyar’s government in Hungary, noting its continued reliance on Russian energy and rejection of a fast-track EU accession for Ukraine. He assessed whether this signals a real shift toward free-market reforms or a continuation of pragmatic but interventionist policies that have held back Hungary’s economic performance in recent years.

In Reason.com, Epicenter’s Adam Bartha commented on the defeat of Viktor Orbán and the prospects for free-market reforms under new Prime Minister Péter Magyar. He noted that Hungary has fallen from one of the top post-communist performers to the second-worst EU member due to Orbán’s cronyism and state intervention, and expressed cautious optimism that the new government could shift toward genuine free-market policies, drawing lessons from Poland’s stronger reform record.