When the Hungarian branch of the Union of European Federalists decided to meet and discuss the new challenges facing EU democracy, its secretary-general was expecting a spirited debate.

Eszter Nagy invited the main political groupings, including Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party, and booked a room at Budapest’s trendy Kossuth Klub, close to the national museum and big enough to hold a large audience.

It was only after Ms Nagy went to visit the venue to check on the final arrangements a few days before the event - Fidesz had declined their invitation - that the problems began.

It began with an apologetic phone call from the Kossuth Klub management. “Sorry,” Ms Nagy recalls the manager saying, “Because of the unbalanced political representation [since Fidesz declined to participate] we cannot host the event.”

She had the same problem with the nearby Harmonia Palace conference centre and only with 24 hours to spare did Ms Nagy find a host, a private German-language institution, that felt confident enough to hold a “political event”.