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Mr Orbán highlighted that the intelligence report on migration “outlines a horrifying horizon” and “confirms us in the belief that we must continue to do what we have done so far.” He stressed that Hungary had been the first country to state that migration and terrorism “go hand in hand,” and this was also confirmed by the report.
He said it is evident that migrants are becoming ever more aggressive, are resorting to violence – both towards each other and border guards – ever more frequently, and are trying to cross the border protection fence with the use of ever more combative means; behind this radicalisation, in actual fact, we find the agents, the activists of terrorist organisations.
The situation is not becoming ever more radical at our southern borders of its own accord; this is “incited, shaped and organised” by trained people, he pointed out.
He said there is a difference in the way migration is seen by those who do not have children and those who do. While the former look upon migration as a personal matter, considering whether they themselves would like to live in a country where there are migrants, parents think about the kind of country that they will leave to their children and grandchildren.
He observed that there are parents who are not bothered by the idea of drowning their families in debt, who do not care if there is “chaos, disorder and disarray” in the family, saying that “the children will get by somehow,” while there are parents who would like to leave “some form of order,” the chance of a good life to their children.
Mr Orbán stated: he himself always bears this in mind, and this is why he is uncompromising on the issue of migration.
He highlighted that the question was not that we would bump into migrants in Budapest in the next 20 to 30 years, but that once migrants were allowed in, they “can’t be made to leave anymore.” This means that our children, grandchildren and several generations after them will live their lives in a world “which will not be nice, which will be uncertain, which will be full of acts of terrorism, crime, Gaza-style mini-ghettoes,” he said, adding that we can prevent this now.
The Prime Minister urged broad national unity on the issue of migration, stressing that migrants must not be let into the country. He said, at the same time, the Left and also Jobbik are pro-migration, and in Brussels they vote for every proposal seeking to promote migration.
“On the issue of migration, we must have very broad national unity which lays down that we have all the experiences before our eyes; there is only one remedy, we mustn’t let them in because letting illegal migrants in, accepting their stay in Hungary will lead to the outcome that we won’t be able to live in security, calm, welfare and peace in Hungary either,” he said.
He stressed that in a number of Western European, former colonising countries this was already the case, and this had only been aggravated by the 2015 migration wave when they had let in even more migrants. From here on, “it’s only a question of mathematics” how the ratios of people belonging to different civilisations will change.
“And over there, they can see the end of the history of their own country. […] There are countries about which the people who live there today may well think that when they die, that country will no longer be the same as when they were born,” he pointed out.
He stated that we needed change in Brussels.
Regarding the EU’s migrant policy, the Prime Minister said Hungary is asking for one thing: it is asking Brussels not to force upon it a policy which has destroyed the western Member States, “we don’t want mini-Gazas in the districts of Budapest, terrorist attacks and gang warfare.”
Mr Orbán said we must be grateful for the fact that we do not have to think about the rules of migration in a country where there is already a migrant community accounting for 10 to 20 per cent of the population.
Hungary had its wits about it and its heart was in the right place, did not make that mistake, and does not want to find itself in the same situation as western states. Therefore, it does not want anyone to force upon it a policy which has destroyed them, he argued. He added that Hungary had a tolerance offer which he kept presenting to the Germans, the French, “the Brusselites.” Hungary does not interfere with how they do things. Hungary only asks for one thing: that they tolerate that Hungary does things differently. “This is our country, this is our business,” he laid down.
However, they refuse to accept Hungary’s tolerance offer, Europe wants to create a uniform migrant policy which must be the same as that which they pursue in the western half of Europe, he said.
Regarding this uniform migrant policy, he said they want to send here their own migrants, they want to force Hungary to build migrant ghettoes, and would give Brussels the right to send here – with reference to a state of emergency – any number of migrants at any time they like.
He highlighted that he has been fighting against this for a long time, and the country is doing well in this fight. However, this is a renewed struggle which will lead to a major battle in the coming months, and the outcome of this struggle will be at stake in the European parliamentary elections due to be held next year.
The Prime Minister said if the Hungarian government receives confirmation in the upcoming national consultation, it will be able to persevere.
Mr Orbán said Hungary must protect its southern border and defend its position in Brussels, but must also review its laws. Due to the increasing pressure of migration, it is necessary to tighten the legislation relating to alien policing, he stated.
He said the Hungarian legislation currently in effect managed the 2015 migration crisis well and served as an effective means in the battles fought in Brussels, but as the pressure of migration is intensifying, it is necessary to tighten the relevant laws.
He added that a new alien policing law must be adopted which clearly lays down who is allowed to stay in Hungary and on what grounds, one which backs this regime with a robust alien police force that upholds the law.
Mr Orbán said their goal is to know about everyone who is in the territory of Hungary on what grounds they are here and how long they are allowed to stay because “otherwise, our country will be stolen from us.”
Hungary belongs to the Hungarian people, jobs in Hungary are for the Hungarian people, the rules by which they live in this country must be determined by the Hungarian people, he said, indicating that Parliament will adopt the relevant legislative package before the end of this year.
He stated that the purpose of the national consultation was to reach unity. He said the essence of the communal life of power and the state lies in the capacity for collective action in order to reach collective opinions on the most important issues, and to take collective action accordingly, in light of the opinions so reached.
Referenda, parliamentary elections and national consultations all serve as a means to create and to enhance Hungary’s capacity for joint action, he added.
Mr Orbán stressed that the European Union had been established to have peace and welfare in Europe. By contrast, today, there are wars and unrest, and in the big race of the world’s major economic blocs – China, Asia, the United States – we are falling behind. We have a historical argument for why we need a change in Brussels under any circumstances, he added.
He said the Brussels leadership keeps making specific poor decisions which “we are on the receiving end of”; one example is migration, but there are others, including Ukraine’s prospective EU membership and the EU’s approach to the Russo-Ukrainian war.
The leadership that is in Brussels at present is executing the orders of a globalist elite, he said, adding that “they are not our people.”
The Prime Minister highlighted that the Brussels leadership was not doing not only what the Hungarians wanted, but equally not what the European people wanted in general. People do not want migration, war and unrest; they want a carefully planned green transition, rather than one that destroys their industry, he added.
He stressed that the Brussels leadership had been hijacked by a globalist elite, financial groups, major economic power groups, and their decisions were being motivated by the interests of those groups, rather than the interests of the Hungarian, German, French or Italian people.
Therefore, we must achieve a change, he stated.
Mr Orbán said we must achieve a change not in the EU “because we are the EU,” but in the realm of the Brussels bureaucrats so that they finally do what is in the European people’s best interests.
Regarding the situation in Ukraine, he said an agreement had already been reached in Istanbul which – “so we hear from rumours in diplomatic circles” – the Ukrainians had refused to sign upon orders from the Americans.
Earlier, Europe followed a clear direction – in 2015, at the time of the crisis in Crimea – which dictated that the conflict must be isolated as “the development of a major pan-European conflict is not in our best interests,” he recalled. He said, however, the Americans entered this game, and since then we have pursued the direction of extension, rather than isolation, and so the conflict is becoming globalised. This is not in the best interests of either Hungary or Europe, he added.
He highlighted that the Russo-Ukrainian war was destroying Europe, “what we are doing at present is untenable,” we must not continue to pursue this line of action. This is why Hungary did not support the idea of sending weapons, and also now, it is not supporting the idea of sending the money of Hungarian taxpayers to Ukraine, he pointed out.
He said “we are happy to provide humanitarian assistance as we are human ourselves, we have a heart, we’re a Christian country.” However, “that we should support the Ukrainian state, that they should fight with weapons bought from our money,” that would result in very grave consequences for Hungary, amounting to economic ruin.
He also said since September, real wages have been on the increase in Hungary. In fact, according to an OECD report, as regards real earnings, there was an increase in Hungary already in the second quarter, he stated.
He highlighted that the next month and a half will be a difficult period in politics because we are facing difficult issues such as the war and migration, and at the same time, we are under attack from Brussels. Another tough issue is the issue of negotiations with Ukraine regarding its EU membership which we must not start, given that Ukraine is not ready in any respect to engage in talks with the ambition of seeking membership, he pointed out. He added that “Ukraine is as far from European Union membership as the East is from the West.”
He stressed that the refusal on Hungary’s part to commence the talks on Ukraine’s European Union membership is not negotiable, it cannot be tied to any financial issue.
He said “they must give us what they owe us.” The commencement of talks with Ukraine cannot be tied to the issue of the funds that Hungary is entitled to, he laid down.
He recalled that the government had pledged to achieve three things in the economy this year: that the value of pensions will not decrease by a penny, that they will protect jobs and that they will cut inflation back to a single digit by the end of the year. He added that “we made three pledges in the economy, we have delivered on all three.”
He highlighted that in 2024 they would bring economic growth back because in 2023 “it has shrunk to zero, or has even fallen below zero.”
He said economic growth is good news because it results in the protection of jobs or even an increase in the number of jobs, and brings about pay rises and an increase in living standards. Therefore, in 2024 “we will have to give families robust help through growth,” Mr Orbán said.
He observed that the increase of the minimum wage, the raising of the wages of qualified workers and the launch of the family housing benefit plus programme were all issues concerning 2024. They are all about how to improve the situation of Hungary, the Hungarian economy and through them, the situation of Hungarian families and the Hungarian people.
The Prime Minister also said that if bureaucrats in Brussels take the view that certain economic indicators are not moving in the right direction, they can recommend certain measures, and if their recommendations are not accepted by a given Member State, they have means to enforce them.
However, in Brussels, “they have no idea about life in Hungary or about the necessities of the Hungarian economy,” whereas “we know precisely how to bring back economic growth, how to reduce the sovereign debt, the deficit of the budget, and so on,” he pointed out.
He said Brussels proposes that we do away with the windfall taxes, the reduction of household energy bills and the cap on interest rates. “However, these measures would destroy the lives of Hungarian families,” he stated.
He took the view that “we will have a major debate on issues of economic policy as well,” this will be a long debate, and will concern primarily the period between January and September 2024, but it is related to the European elections due to be held in June.
“We are able to agree on almost any issue with a good and reasonable European leadership that stands with both feet on the ground, but the incumbent leadership is not such, it must be replaced,” and we need a new, better and more amicable EU leadership in Brussels, the Prime Minister stressed.
