Against the government: Budapest’s city diplomacy activity in a conflictual political environment

Abstract

This study examines the role of subnational diplomacy in a conflictual political environment through the case of Budapest, with particular attention to post-2019 tensions between the central government and the capital city. The theoretical framework builds on the literature on city diplomacy and protodiplomacy, interpreting the growing international engagement of cities not only as technical cooperation but also as the expression of political and normative positions. In the Hungarian case, centralization, fiscal control, and the allocation of resources that in some cases also reflects political considerations reinforce the central-local conflict, encouraging Budapest to develop new external relations strategies. The qualitative research is based on semi-structured interviews and media analysis. Empirical findings show that Budapest actively builds international city network connections, seeks access to direct EU funding, and formulates autonomous responses to geopolitical and normative issues. Key examples include the city’s humanitarian response to the Russia-Ukraine war and its stance on LGBTQ+ rights, particularly the organisation of the 2025 Budapest Pride with international support. The results suggest that Budapest functions not only as an implementing actor but also as a partially autonomous political actor within the multilevel governance system.