Hungary and Europe

On November 16 and 17, 2023, I had the pleasure of visiting Budapest at the invitation of the Otto de Hasbourg-Lorraine Foundation. One of the most illustrious and influential Europeans of the last century, Otto de Hasbourg-Lorraine was the last Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary and Bohemia. A great humanist and internationalist, he resisted the Nazis, was a member of the European Parliament and spoke ten languages fluently.

He bequeathed his immense documentary collections to the Foundation, which has begun a formidable task of deciphering them. The debates I took part in at the Université du Service Public with ministers and former ministers - on Europe's competitiveness and the current challenges of European construction - gave me a better understanding of the country's mindset, far removed from the usual stereotypes.

This is what I underline in the interview below, when I talk about the suspension of EU aid to Hungary, but also about the dangers of the Islamization of the continent versus the universalism of the Enlightenment, the number-one challenge facing democracies around the world, particularly in Europe.

The ACE Congress, held this year in Toulouse, gave rise to some fascinating debates. After President Raskin's masterful speech, I had the pleasure of taking part in a round-table discussion, perfectly moderated by Anne-Cécile Sarfati, with my colleagues Clémentine Bardon and Xavier Larrouy-Castéra.

Jean-Paul Gauzès passed away on September 13. His passing leaves us with no words to describe his presence, his warm voice, his inimitable way of telling anecdotes, his immense legal, economic, political and literary culture and, last but not least, his kindness and benevolence.

Jean-Paul Gauzés had a sparkling career, without being in any way a careerist.

In a magisterial decision, the Spanish Supreme Court reminds us that it is not the role of the judge - who is not a counter-power - to change the law, and that neither the climate emergency nor any other circumstance would justify such a shift.

Full article (in French language)

In the photo, from left to right: Noëlle Lenoir, Anton Prohaska, Former Ambassador of Austria to France, his wife, Alex and Philippe Valletoux (2017, Hôtel Matignon).

Alex Marquardt, founding partner of the Paris office of the law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel in 2000, passed away on July 21. His sudden death comes as a shock. Alex was an immense and brilliant lawyer, an internationally recognized arbitrator and an expert in Common Law as well as in French, German and Austrian law. Having studied in Munich, Paris and Vienna, and then at Columbia Law School in New York, his encyclopedic legal knowledge, legal acumen and sharp intellect enabled him to handle the most complex cases, the very ones in which he loved to excel.