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Honourable Members of Parliament, Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Few cities have a history like that of Veszprém. After all, several queens have been associated with it, and the greatness of the past awaits us on every street corner. Yet Veszprém is a special city not only because of its past, but also because of its future: how to devise ever newer things, to invent ever newer things, to build, to transform, while remaining who we are; in other words, how to be conservatively inventive. This, for me, is Veszprém. Those of us from elsewhere are here today to celebrate Hungarian ingenuity with the people of Veszprem. There is no absurd situation that a Hungarian cannot solve – after all, we invented the Rubik’s Cube. In Hungary this ingenuity is something old, going back to the misty past, back to the tales of King Matthias, for example: if the King sends us a solid stone pitcher with the impossible demand that a hole in it be patched, on pain of death, we send it back – advising that first it must be turned inside out. In general, I can also say that we take pleasure in breaking the world’s iron laws in a clever way, with extreme ingenuity. This is also why Hungarian football is revitalised again and again – but that is another story. When needed, we shoot our arrows facing forwards; when needed, we shoot them facing back. The place where we are now is therefore the result of Hungarian ingenuity. Although the name – CODE – Centre of Digital Experiences – is not very clever, the building itself is undoubtedly a fine example of Hungarian ingenuity. After all, the fact of our being here today is the totally unlikely result of past circumstances. Here we are in a building that was originally the site of the villa of the local director of the Central Bank. It was later occupied by the Arrow Cross, and then by the ÁVH. Finally the Communists demolished it and built a real socialist-style cultural centre in its place, named after Georgi Dimitrov – a son of the Bulgarian nation and a true international communist. According to all rules of common sense one would avoid such a place. But the people of Veszprém thought otherwise. They thought they could make something good out of what was bad. I do not know if this is possible according to Catholic theology, but the people of Veszprém did it. They brought art back within the walls of the building. They digitalised it, they modernised it, they rendered it innovative, and literally painted it with light.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In 2023 Veszprém and its surroundings were the European Capital of Culture. As you know, we are fighting bloody battles with Brussels, but this city is proof that successful EU–Hungarian cooperation exists. In this case, we owe our success solely and exclusively to the fact that we were given a free hand. This is what happens when Hungarians are allowed to work and create for themselves. We have always said that Europe is not in Brussels – or at least it is in Brussels to a decreasing extent. We have shown that Europe is here in Veszprém. With the help of Veszprém and the surrounding settlements, we organised a series of events over 365 days. The people of Veszprém cannot really accuse the Government of being tight-fisted. We have been generous – so generous that it is hard to say it. We have been generous, and we have supported the European Capital of Culture – I mean its programmes and investments – with the provision of 74 billion forints, and the church reconstruction projects by around another 74 billion forints. One million six hundred thousand people – 1.6 million – visited the city. It was fortunate that after a while they left, otherwise Budapest’s position as capital would have been in jeopardy.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Hungary is a multi-faceted, tolerant and proud nation, while Brussels is increasingly isolated and insular. We know that the freedom of Europe’s nations is not a barrier to the Union, but a driving force. The secret of Hungary’s success has always been that here people meet, cooperate and stand together – for better or worse, in sickness and in health. I believe that the CODE – Centre of Digital Experiences has become – or at least will become – just such a place.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Hungarian ingenuity is still very much needed today. The whole world is changing, and everyone needs to redefine and take their place in this new world – if they can. Liberals, for example, believe that the world is coming to an end. It is indeed true that the liberal world is over. All their secrets are out, and the whole international edifice is collapsing before our eyes like a house of cards. This is what is happening today. before our eyes it has become clearer than the sun that for fifteen years we have been fighting a global network of influence. This is indeed over, or we are ending it. But history is far from being at an end: the liberal West may have had its day, but freedom is just returning.
In these years, Dear Citizens of Veszprém, all nations are being tested once more. One thing truly matters: performance. Work, talent, diligence. Now everyone, every nation, has once again taken up its own military baton. There are some who will throw it on the fire, and they can enjoy peace for a short while. Others will use it to rally a squad, set a course and move forward. This is what we Hungarians have always desired: peace, freedom and creativity. We have waited to make Hungary great again. This cannot be done in a headwind, but it can be done with a tailwind. The wind is blowing in a good direction from the Atlantic Ocean, and all we need now is to turn the wind in Brussels. The war is over, and 2025 will be the first year of peace. It could not have come at a better time! There has been too much strife and hardship, and it is a wonder that we have made it this far carrying such a burden. A new year, a new dawn, new possibilities. Now is the time to think boldly and big. Now is the time to try to do what for a long time we have been preparing to do – for example, to enact the biggest tax cut in Europe. This year, from October 2025, all mothers with three children will no longer be liable for personal income tax, and from January 2026, mothers with two children – starting with those aged under 40 – will also be exempt from it. If we do this, we could see millions of people in Hungary being exempt from paying personal income tax for the rest of their lives. For me, CODE is a symbol of brave and unconventional thinking – or, in other words, “based” thinking. And this is not a projection, this is the real world. Congratulations to those who have contributed to the design and construction of this building. And to you, I thank you for your attention.
Go Hungary, go Hungarians!
