On May 4, 2026, a meeting of Hungarian and Slovak social scientists (sociologists, historians, political scientists, lawyers, specialists in civil society and media) took place in Budapest as part of the workshop Slovakia and Hungary in 2026: challenges and opportunities. The event was organized by the Institute for Advanced Study at the Central European University. Among the participants in the event was the IVO president Grigorij Mesežnikov, who spoke in the first part of the workshop which dealt with the foreign policy issues. 

The discussants assessed the situation that arose in Hungary after the parliamentary elections on April 12, 2026 in several contexts – in the context of the internal political situation in the country, in the context of Hungary’s relations with the EU, in the context of Slovak-Hungarian bilateral relations. The current situation in Slovakia, the impact of what is happening in neighboring Hungary on domestic political developments in the Slovak Republic, on party politics, and on the state and prospects of inter-ethnic relations were also discussed.