Post-Orbán Hungary: Can Democracy Really Be Restored?

Has the Culture War hit Europe Yet?

Our guest, Isabella Sofia De Gregorio, is the Founder and President of Eduxo.eu, European Network for Democracy and Equality, a non-profit organisation working to advance gender equality, LGBTIQA+ rights, and access to abortion rights across Europe. Through education, advocacy campaigns and civic lobbying, Eduxo.eu promotes a more inclusive, democratic, and progressive agenda. As a committed feminist and lesbian activist, Isabella speaks with us about Europe’s ongoing “culture wars” with conservatives movements, how she responds to with insults, backlash, and discrimination, and about the enduring influence of the Church on public debate and political decision-making.

Is Europe Sleepwalking into Fascism?

Our guest, Lukas Sieper, is a German politician and one of the youngest members of the European Parliament. He co-founded the Party of Progress with a few friends over a beer and, against all odds, won a seat in Brussels in 2024. His main battle is the defense of democracy, which he sees as increasingly threatened by authoritarian forces in Europe and beyond. Both pragmatic and entrepreneurial, he takes the best ideas from across the political spectrum, focusing on what works rather than on ideology.

Can Satire Change the Rules of Power in Europe?

Our guest, Vincent Guerre, is a Brussels-insider, who has worked for the European Parliament, the European Commission and lobby associations. In his satirical book “The sun in law”, he uses humour to explain how the EU functions, which actors are the most powerful, and how decisions are taken. This fictional story, in which the EU tries to regulate the colour of the sun, shows how laws are made in the EU, and how anyone with the right skills can influence them.

Post-Orbán Hungary #2: The Economic Collapse Orbán Hid

Daniel Kalló is a policy analyst for Publicus Research. He followed the Hungarian elections in detail, analysing voter preferences, demographic and geographical divergences, and campaign tactics. He watched closely the 2-year campaign of Peter Magyar and had a first row seat to understand the causes leading to his success. Before becoming an analyst, Daniel was a student activist under the Orban government and ran for the European Parliament in 2019. He witnessed first hand the tactics employed by the regime to silence opposition forces, and is uniquely placed to share insights into Hungarian political realities.

Post-Orbán Hungary: Can Democracy Really Be Restored?

Zsuzsanna Szelényi, now Program Director at CEU Democracy Institute, Central European University (CEU) was a former member of Orbán's Fidesz party. She witnessed his rise to power, and the democratic backlash of the country, described in full detail in her book ''Tainted Democracy''. She also founded her own political party, called ''together party'', to fight Orban's power in the country in the 2012 elections. In this conversation, Zsuzsanna explores the recent elections and what the defeat of Orbán's means for Hungary's, and the EU's, future.