CPAC Hungary 2026 concluded last Saturday, 21 March. Over 3,000 people from 51 different countries around the world attended one of the major European political events in Budapest, Hungary.

On Monday, 23 March, the Center for Fundamental Rights decided to host a little ‘encore’ event, titled CPAC Hungary Special. This occasion was dedicated to Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini of Italy alone. His 2024 book Controvento. L’Italia che non si arrende has just been published by the Center in Hungarian, under the title Árral szemben – az olasz csizma visszarúg.

Director General for the Center for Fundamental Rights Miklós Szánthó was first to greet the audience with some welcome remarks. He started by stating that, unlike the opposition, the right-wing forces in Hungary have allies abroad, not masters. He also declared that while Brussels and Kyiv may back the Hungarian opposition, the majority of the ‘freedom-loving world’ is with Prime Minister Orbán. The Hungarian right is in the majority, not just in their own country, but in a global context in their objections to mass migration and support for government subsidies to families, Mr Szánthó added.

Mr Salvini took the stage next. He started by commemorating Umberto Bossi, the Italian politician who founded his Lega Nord Party and passed away last week. The speaker also noted that it was an important day in Italy, as a referendum on judicial reforms was taking place.

He went on to tell the audience that ‘Hungary is the best place to talk about freedom’. However, it is under foreign attacks today, he warned, which is why the election on 12 April in the country is so important.

As for his book, Mr Salvini shared that Controvento was written while he was under criminal indictment. The author was charged with kidnapping for not letting boats of illegal migrants dock in Italy in 2019, while he was serving as Minister of the Interior. As he pointed out, the prosecution was seeking a six-year prison sentence for him. He was acquitted of the charges in 2024.

Mr Salvini then likened his legal ordeal to that of Hungary: the EU is fining the country €1 million a day for not meeting migrant quotas and is withholding its cohesion funds. As the speaker pointed out, both he and the country of Hungary have been punished for defending their nations’ borders.

The Deputy Prime Minister then gave us some general life advice. As he explained, people can go through life with two different mindsets: either as thinking of themselves as ‘protagonists’, and therefore taking risks, and do what they do with passion and enthusiasm. Or, people can go through life as ‘survivors’, people who do not want to take risks and just want to get through each day. People in the former category make their mark on history, Mr Salvini said; while the latter category is typically stuck with commenting on other people’s lives.

Mr Salvini also stated that PM Orbán is the only one in Europe who dares to say no to financing the war in Ukriane; and called on EU leaders to follow US President Donald Trump in suspending the sanctions on Russian energy imports to ease the energy price hikes following the USIsraeli strikes on Iran. Furthermore, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister noted his nation’s successful hosting of the Winter Olympics earlier this year, despite the concerns of the liberal opposition in the country that suggested the sporting event might turn into chaos.

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