Mate Hajba

Director of the Free Market Foundation, which advocates economic freedom, civil rights and tolerance. He is also the author of several books promoting free markets and civic liberties. He served as 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.

Politics

Will EUphoria Last in Hungary?

BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / May 12, 2026

For a long time under Orbán’s illiberal regime, the common sentiment on the street was that the EU should intervene to help Hungarians. This was, of course, unrealistic, and should the EU have intervened more, Orbán would have used it to get Hungary out of the Union. The EU, however, is still in the focus of sentiments on the streets.

Economy

Markets Beat Fidesz at Hungarian Elections

BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / April 30, 2026

After 16 years, illiberalism fell in Hungary. The markets predicted it while Fidesz pollsters and politicians were blindsided, proving yet again that free markets are better than government control.

Politics

Hungarian Dream of Cincinnatus

BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / April 20, 2026

Hungarian voters elected the opposition Tisza party with a landslide, ending 16 years of an illiberal Orbán regime. The constitutional majority vested on Tisza will be needed to undo the crony system, restart the economy and reinstate rule of law, but there are inherent dangers that this absolute power can corrupt the new government.

Economy

Want To Bet on Santa?

BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / January 1, 2026

The US and Canadian military are tracking Santa with private money, and you can bet on the results, all due to a typo. It is the season when people’s gaze is waylaid by the shiny, sparkling, colorful paraphernalia of Christmas attention-seeking, and so it is increasingly difficult to write about an important topic not sprinkled with holiday jollity. My feeble attempt to gain readers a couple of years ago depicted Santa as a Marxist monster.

Politics

Labubu Takeover

BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / September 10, 2025

Labubus, with their naughty smiles, have stolen their way into most homes with kids, but their colorful furs hold a sinister secret. They are the newest presentation of a Chinese soft power takeover. With the US clogging up its channels of influence, we had better prepare for a wave of Chinafication. Soft power is marked by the promotion of positive values.

Economy

High-Speed Rail to Riches Is Achievable in Central and Eastern Europe Through Privatization

BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / June 26, 2025

There is a great transportation divide between Western and Eastern Europe. The latter is slow to catch up to the growing high-speed train network of wealthier countries, hindering cohesion efforts. Trains revolutionized the transportation of people and goods, significantly reducing travel time and costs.

Politics

It Is Time for EU Antitrust Reform

BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / May 21, 2025

EU antitrust regulations hinder innovation, which is the most effective way of fighting monopolies and strengthening the EU as a global power. That is ironic since the nominal purpose of those antitrust rules is to fight monopolies, not to empower them. The European Union needs to pivot its approach to businesses to be competitive globally, maybe even to fill the growing void left by the U.S.

Politics

Herrings in Hungary: Bizarre, Satirical Take on Hungary’s New Law Attacking Writers’ Freedoms

BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / May 17, 2025

Hungary is a beautiful country: homogeneous, democratic, united, and Christian. These facts are so obviously true that I do not even have to provide sources. My country also has an excellent educational system, which teaches journalists working in the booming and free media sector that sarcasm is not a good linguistic tool to use in an article. Why should I do otherwise?

Society

Liberal Pope Would Be Good for Both Europe And Africa

BY Mate Hajba AND Free Market Foundation / May 9, 2025

A new Pope is about to assume his office, but what once was a greatly influential position, making and breaking kingdoms, is becoming obsolete, at least in the Western world. Should a new Pope change that? The relevance of the Pope is hard to measure, but for those interested in number-crunching, several metrics are available.

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.