British interest shown in Hungary has increased noticeably over the last six months. Though traditionally introverted, the British media have increasingly turned towards international questions, especially the relation between London and Europe. A growing number of journalists cover the issues related to the EU and its expansion. The image of Hungary in the British media is positive. During the above period, not a single analysis or report with factual error or malevolent distortion has appeared on Hungary.
NATO deployment in Hungary is frequently and always positively referred to. Analysts reminded that Hungary has been traditionally maintaining cordial cooperation with its new allies and has proved in practice its maturity for the membership of the North Atlantic alliance.

  Similarly, there have been numerous positive changes compared to the first half of the past year in the Italian press record of Hungary. The articles, unchanged in terms of quantity, presented a more comprehensive coverage of Hungary's integration efforts and socio-economic reform.
The formerly contrasted expansions to the South and to the East are now referred to fairly neutrally and are accepted as facts. Nevertheless, there is concern about the considerable burden the Union must bear during the upgrading of the applicant countries. The exclusively political approach of the questions of integration has been replaced by the concrete economic, financial and commercial problems. Even a degree of anxiety is being expressed over the the possibility of severe competition the strengthening economies of Central and Eastern Europe might present in the future, particularly in the agricultural sector.
Another shift in approach is indicated by referring to these countries not as associated states but as future members.

  Hungary is relatively neglected by the Spanish press. Of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the greatest emphasis is laid on Russian internal and foreign policy, which is followed by the stormy events of Polish politics. Last year, increased publicity was devoted to Slovakia, albeit commentators gave a negative evaluation of the economic and internal policy conditions there. The next country, Romania, is condemned for the staggering implementation of democratic reform, while the coverage of Bulgaria includes mainly factual reports.
There was an apparent negative change in the reputation of Hungary: the 1994 post-election reference to a Social Democratic turnabout has been replaced by the classification of "country under ex-communist leadership".

  The Swedish mass media clearly adopted a positive approach toward the Hungarian foreign policy and security efforts. Reporting on the Hungarian presidency of the OSCE, special emphasis was laid on the Hungarian initiatives in crisis management. According to a leading daily newspaper, with Sweden having joined the EU, the relations of the two countries entered a new fase; Hungary hopes Sweden will support her full membership and will share the experiences of the Swedish preparations.
The Swedish media reflects the supportive attitude of the political leadership toward the Eastern expansion of EU, stressing impartiality toward the applicant countries and the importance of the upgrading of the Baltic states. Integration-related matters provoke special interest at a time when reservations about NATO enlargement arise in the receiving country, and popular support for Swedish EU membership is declining.

  In the second half of 1995, Bulgarian media saw a continuation of the trend experienced in the first six months: factual reports, based mainly on Western newsagency sources, kept Hungary common knowledge. Although Hungary is not an ever-cited ideal any more, she has reamined in the centre of interest for two reasons: 1 Bulgarians are keen to study the experiences of Hungarian reform; and 2 they are observing - through their special prism - the record of the Social-Liberal coalition formed six month earlier than its Bulgarian counterpart.
In the foreign and security policy reports on Hungary special emphasis is laid on her North Atlantic integration policy, one year OSCE presidency, the achievements of the December meeting of the OSCE Council of Foreign Ministers, the role played in the Yugoslav settlement, Hungarian participation in IFOR, and IFOR deployment in Hungary.