Right-wing extremism has become a virulent phenomenon in Central and Eastern Europe in the last years. Political parties like Hungary’s Jobbik and Ataka in Bulgaria won seats in national parliaments and succeeded in dominating parts of the political discourses. In these weeks the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung publishes a set of studies presenting the situation in most of the countries of the region by identifying the actors of right-wing extremism, their influence on the respective political landscape and state-driven or civil society-based counterstrategies.

Our third set of studies contains Hungary, where the Jobbik - party won about 15 % of the votes in the European elections of 2009 as well as in the general elections of 2010. Its big influence on the political agenda of the country is being demonstrated by ruling Fidesz party of Prime Minister Orban taking over several bullet points of Jobbik’s extremist party program and adopting them as part of the government2’s policy.