ON THE RECORD

STATE OF EMERGENCY EXTENDED IN HUNGARY YET AGAIN

Without parliamentary debate and with a majority of 112 votes in favor and 25 against, the Hungary’s ruling party Fidesz has once again extended the state of emergency and the emergency regulations, which will now last until January 1 next year. The government had previously claimed that it was necessary to extend the law because, as the coronavirus epidemic was still ongoing and the number of infected people in Hungary was increasing due to the delta variant, "in order to continue effective control and rapid response to the epidemic,". According to the government, "the past year and a half has shown that the exceptional and transitional legal framework adopted earlier has served the control of the epidemic well". At an early September government briefing, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás also claimed that the extension of the emergency "does not imply any restriction on freedom" and will not even affect the opposition primaries, because people can go to the polls in person. The government has periodically extended the state of emergency during the epidemic, most recently in May. The opposition has already declined to vote for an extension on the last two occasions. In their view, the government has abused its power in this period, and they cited the example of the reorganization of universities into foundations, the news site telex.hu reports.

20 NEW MEMBERS OF THE V4 CAPITAL CITIES ASSOCIATION

Taking place on the margins of the conference ‘Budapest Forum on Building Sustainable Democracies’, the Pact of Free Cities mayors' summit saw the alliance expanded with new members this September. The Pact is a global values-based alliance of cities, where city leaders work closely together to strengthen democracy and the rule of law, to promote progressive, sustainable urban policies and to take joint action against racism, homophobia, hate speech and all forms of exclusionary ideology. The meeting was attended by 26 cities at mayoral level, in person, online or by video message. Some of the cities joining include Amsterdam, Vienna, Barcelona, Florence, Frankfurt, Gdansk, Ljubljana, London, Los Angeles, Paris, Stuttgart, Taipei and Zagreb. The Pact of Free Cities is a progressive, open alliance, founded by the mayors of Budapest (Gergely Karácsony), Bratislava (Matúš Vallo), Warsaw (Rafal Trzaskowski) and Prague (Zdeněk Hřib) in December 2019 in Budapest. The objectives of the Alliance are to defend the values of liberal democracy, pluralism, openness and cultural diversity, to promote better access to EU funds and to exchange good urban practices and policies.

AMBASSADORS' SCHOOL BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

The Ambassador School program aims to raise awareness of Europe and European parliamentary democracy among young secondary school students. The program, launched in 2017, currently involves 49 secondary schools in Hungary and more than 2,000 schools across Europe.

In order to expand the Ambassador School network in the 2021/22 school year, the EP Liaison Office in Hungary invited applications this September from secondary schools in Hungary to participate in the program. The aim for the Ambassador School network is to ensure the country's territorial coverage and to represent the diversity of institution types. To this end, this call for applications was mainly open to institutions in Nógrád, Bács-Kiskun, Tolna, Zala and Vas counties. This did not, however, exclude highquality entries from other areas. Students and teachers participating in the European Parliament Ambassador School program will learn about the opportunities offered by European citizenship and the role of the European Parliament in the decision-making process. In the first year, teachers who will lead the program in schools will undergo a 30-hour accredited teacher training course, which will familiarize them with the criteria of the program, the functioning and topicality of the European Parliament and help them with practical planning, methodology and organization of school programs.

STATUE OF THE IDENTITY CREDITED WITH INVENTING BITCOIN

The world's first bitcoin sculpture, created by Hungarians Réka Gergely and Tamás Gilly commemorates the founder of the bitcoin cryptocurrency and the blockchain technology behind it, Satoshi Nakamoto. The sculpture was unveiled this September at Graphisoft Park in Budapest. The work of art honors the mysterious cryptocurrency creator Satoshi Nakamoto, a pseudonym for the Bitcoin inventor or inventors, whose identity is unknown. According to the sculpture's creator, András Györfi, it's not really Nakamoto's personality that's important. He believes that bitcoin has opened a new chapter in the history of the internet, creating new digital currencies and the blockchain technology behind bitcoin has made the world a better place. The bronze bust was paid for by crowd-funding as the costs were covered by members of the national crypto community and individuals. The sculpture depicts a hooded figure without a face, a reference to both the mysterious Nakamoto and the people of the internet. The face of the sculpture has been heavily polished by the creators, so that anyone looking at it can see themselves.

UPCOMING NATIONAL DAYS October 1 Cyprus 1 China 1 Nigeria 3 Germany 3 Korea 3 Iraq 10 Taiwan 10 Cuba National day Independence day Independence day Independence day National day National day National day National day

November 12 Spain 18 Azerbaijan 23 Hungary 24 Zambia

National day Independence day National day Independence day 26 Austria National day 28 Czech Republic Independence day 29 Turkey National day 11 Poland Independence day

11 Angola 15 Belgium 18 Latvia Independence day National day Independence day

18 Morocco National day

19 Oman 22 Lebanon 28 Albania National day Independence day Independence day

HUNGARY SANCTIONED AFTER RACIST BEHAVIOR IN FOOTBALL

The Disciplinary Committee of the international football federation FIFA has imposed a ban and a substantial fine on the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) in relation to the racist behavior of numerous supporters during the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying match between Hungary and England on September 2, 2021. A statement by FIFA adds that after analyzing and taking into consideration all the circumstances of the case, specifically the seriousness of the incidents (racist words and actions, throwing of objects, lighting of fireworks, blocked stairways), the Committee decided that MLSZ would play its next two home matches in FIFA competitions without spectators, the second match being suspended for a probationary period of two years. In addition, the Committee imposed a fine of CHF 200,000. FIFA’s position remains firm and resolute in rejecting any form of racism and violence as well as any other form of discrimination or abuse. FIFA takes a clear zero tolerance stance against such abhorrent behavior in football. The decision rendered by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee was notified to the MLSZ. MLSZ has also issued a statement saying that it recognizes and supports the need to tackle racism, "but it is also clear that UEFA and FIFA disciplinary rules and decisions do not punish those truly responsible and are ineffective in their current form. In the meantime, the association will continue the process it has begun to keep out troublemakers and undesirable behavior. This will be facilitated by changes to the MLSZ's own practices and to the relevant legislation, which are being prepared. The MLSZ is awaiting the detailed reasons for the current decision and will appeal against the decision if justified," the Hungarian FA said.