Dear Readers

This month, Hungary’s European Union Parliamentarians will pack their bags, and begin work in Brussels and Strasbourg. Each parliamentarian will scout out areas they can contribute their expertise to regarding European politics. This is a pivotal time, and such movements will define Hungary’s contribution to Europe over the next five years, in various EU committees and bodies. This month, DT – Diplomacy and Trade has looked behind the scenes to try and discover the strategy of each Hungarian EU parliamentarian, to help us make sense of puzzling EU politics and how this country fits into it. After the tragic death of a Hungarian soldier in Iraq, coalition forces handed over the reigns of power. In this issue we report from Baghdad, where reporter Gregor Mayer takes a detailed look, from the ground, at the conditions of the power handover to a now sovereign Iraq. We examine the prognosis for stability in this troubled nation. And in a related report, another DT correspondent attends the recent NATO Summit in Istanbul, where decisions to increase troop levels in Afghanistan and further train security officials in Iraq where handed down. The same summit also confirmed NATO´s decision to terminate its SFOR mission in Bosnia by the end of this year. This month we also look at a divided village on the border of Ukraine and Slovakia. The Village of Velke Slemence/Solonci, divided by a barbed wire fence, had remained a historical anomaly for 60 years. But recent events show the village may yet get the border crossing it has long sought, enabling families to avoid lengthy and costly delays in visits on the other side of the fence. Members of the Center for Hungarian American Congressional Relations (CHACR) in Washington DC made a concerted and valiant effort to resolve this problem. As you will read, it seems their efforts have born fruit. Romania also took up a non-permanent seat of the UN Security Council on July 1. The country is using the opportunity to project itself as a force for stability not only in the Balkans, but in a wider global context. In a more colorful story, we also look at the changing face of the royalty in Europe, which has undergone transformation with recent royal weddings in Spain and Denmark, momentous events watched by many.

Decades of disagreement were also laid to rest regarding the Tokaj wine brand. Following EU arbitration, Hungary agreed to acknowledge Slovakia’s right to use the Tokaj name for a limited area. Slovakia, as you will read, has promised to maintain quality levels and preserve uniformity in the product. Carolyn Chapman is a freelance journalist living in Budapest, having contributed to publications including the Wall Street Journal, The Globe and Mail and the Washington Diplomat. She is currently researching a book on Hungarian wines.

Peter Freed