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Mate Hajba

ABOUT Mate Hajba
Director of the Free Market Foundation, which advocates economic freedom, civil rights and tolerance. He is also the Vice President of Civic Platform, which runs anti-racist campaigns and promotes democratic values. He is interested in the relationship between the state and the individual and in the concept and history of liberty. He writes for international press on issues such as intolerance in Hungary and international relations. To promote the concept of individualism, liberty, tolerance and free market, he co-founded a youth organization named Eötvös Club.
Trump Wants Greenland – Should He Take Entire EU, Too?
Politics
Trump Wants Greenland – Should He Take Entire EU, Too?
BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / January 29, 2025
Trump has shocked Europe with his bold and unrelenting desire to seize Greenland as a US territory. Still, it should come as an even greater shock how little Europe had paid attention to this crucial landmass in the stage of newly emerging global conflicts. The Arctic has not weighed heavily in international relationships. However, with the ice melting, new trade routes are opening, and rich resources are becoming more easily accessible.
Autocracy Blurs Lines between Truth and Falsehood
Society
Autocracy Blurs Lines between Truth and Falsehood
BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / January 29, 2025
If people are inclined to believe in things not supported by evidence, they are more likely to be susceptible to the lies of politicians. Disinformation, such as the spread of conspiracy theories to spread distrust among citizens, is a tool widely and effectively used by Russia and China. It is not just conspiracy theories, however, which are plaguing humankind, but a return of an unscientific way of thinking which enlightenment hoped to eradicate.
Fighting Back against Populist Scaremongering on Immigration and Gender
Politics
Fighting Back against Populist Scaremongering on Immigration and Gender
BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / October 9, 2024
Populist parties raise important questions but offer terrible answers, a weakness others should exploit. Populism is by no means a new phenomenon, but recent years have seen a clear rise in parties turning to a more authoritarian, populist strategy of winning over voters. Now, the populist movement has managed to establish a strong position in Europe, and although its popularity is not currently rising, it is not diminishing either.
Regulators Are Blocking Access to Essential Medication
Politics
Regulators Are Blocking Access to Essential Medication
BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / October 9, 2024
When it comes to healthcare and access to medication, regulators need to get out of the way. There is an ongoing debate about cannabis liberalization, but there is another drug which needs to be made more readily available: epinephrine, an essential medicine against severe allergic reactions. Epinephrine, a life-saving medicine, is not an over-the-counter drug. It requires a prescription, given to those who have known allergies. This needs to change.
Banish Magic from Politics
Politics
Banish Magic from Politics
BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / October 8, 2024
Magic had influenced humankind since time immemorial until the age of reason started to disenchant the world. Unfortunately, magical practices still affect our lives. Thanks to the warped politics in some corners of the modern world, such as some far-right movements and the Kremlin under Vladimir Putin, magic is still leaving a sorry and unwelcome footprint on politics today.
Regulations Are Capping Our Freedoms
Economy
Regulations Are Capping Our Freedoms
BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / July 24, 2024
Regulations are suffocating our freedoms, interfering with our lives, livelihoods, and comforts. Freedoms should be the priority of decision makers, but even the most basic freedoms such as those of trade and movement, vitally important principles in the EU, were set aside on the pretext of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Voting Reforms Are Needed in Hungary
Politics
Voting Reforms Are Needed in Hungary
BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / June 26, 2024
On June 9, Hungary held the elections for the European Parliament along with its local elections to choose mayors and councilors. The elections saw a record turnout of 58.1 %, but the most interesting election, the Budapest mayoral election with a turnout of 60.51%, resulted in a very high number of spoiled ballots, at 2.98%.