The Prime Minister, who is currently in Abu Dhabi on a working visit, said everyday life absorbs people’s attention, but when “trouble hits” in the form of a few drones in Poland, then everyone suddenly pricks up their ears. This could have happened yesterday, the day before yesterday, in Poland, but in Hungary, too, he added.
He said the war threat is direct. Hungary is not involved in the war, the Poles are, up to their necks. Hungary is keeping its distance, this is not Hungary’s war, Hungary is not taking part in it, but is a neighbour of a country where a war is being waged. This means a continual and permanent war threat, he warned.
He laid down that the Poles were our friends. Regardless of any pushing and shoving in the politics of the day, they are our historical allies, and they are also close to our hearts spiritually. Hungary must clearly and immediately, and among the first, respond to anything that violates Poland or “dampens” its sovereignty. We condemned the penetration of Russian drones into the territory of Poland as unacceptable at the very first moment, and we stand with the Poles, in one hundred per cent solidarity, Mr Orbán said.
He also spoke about the fact that the Hungarians must bear in mind that the Russo-Ukrainian war is only the most important affair for them, but not for the world, the “big boys” have other issues, too, to address. The world also has other problems connected to Russia, including the world’s energy supply, Mr Orbán pointed out. He said quite a few issues, other than the war in Ukraine, are still open, and while there is slow progress on the issue of peace, he believes that on all other issues the parties are making swift progress behind the scenes.
He said we have been bearing the negative consequences of the war for three and a half years, while we have nothing to do with this war, we bear no responsibility of any kind for its outbreak, and we have never taken part in it. The Prime Minister also mentioned that we Hungarians had already been pushed twice into wars, the consequences of which were devastating for Hungary. We did not want to take part in either, but “politicians, the likes of von der Leyen dragged us into them by the collar,” he said, highlighting that once again, German-speaking, native German-speaking ladies and gentlemen want to drag the Central Europeans, including the Hungarians, into a war from the comfort of the safe West. This is unacceptable, he stated.
Mr Orbán said Ursula von der Leyen’s policy has four or five pillars which are flawed and must be replaced, but she will not be able to replace them. We must revise the green transition because the green transition is partly responsible for high energy prices, and this is deadly for the European economy. We must revise our Ukraine policy, the sanctions, and also our trade policy because a bad agreement was concluded with the Americans, and we must further revise our migration policy, Mr Orbán listed.
He said effectively all important issues must be revised because under Ursula von der Leyen’s leadership, the European Union is heading for an abyss. It is not popularity indicators that matter, but the flawed policies and poor leadership. He stated in summary: it would be best if the president of the commission packed her bag, quietly travelled back home and left Brussels to those who are able to pursue better policies.
He also mentioned the young Hungarian women raped in Sicily whom he wished a swift physical and mental recovery, stressing that “we fully stand with them.” He said it is absurd that Europe has lost its security because of its flawed migration policy. The Prime Minister described the European Union’s migration pact as nothing but deception, saying that the agreement means that the external borders will not be closed down. The migration pact does something, but fails to solve the problem. The problem can only be solved in a single way: we must state that no one is allowed to enter the territory of the European Union without personalised permission, he laid down. He stressed that illegal entrants could not be expelled from here; not even if it is revealed that they have no legal grounds for residence in Europe.
He said the solution is that applicants should await the assessment of their applications outside the EU. He stressed that in this regard, the problems of Hungary and Western Europe were different as while “we’re struggling to prevent migration in Hungary,” “they’ve already created a problem,” and were struggling with living together with it, including the grave consequences of mixed societies, the disintegration of the single legal system, the cessation of public security, and becoming the targets of terrorist attacks, while “not even the whole world’s money is enough” to support the new entrants.
The Prime Minister stressed that this process was “irreversible.” There are mistakes which once you commit you cannot rectify, he said, adding that the number one priority for Hungary is to prevent migrants “from taking our country away from us.” He indicated that while he sympathised with migrants and understood their situation, this was no reason for them to “pack their bags and move here.” We are happy to take help there, but we do not want to bring trouble here, Mr Orbán said, summarising his position.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the fact that it is an old tradition of Hungarian politics that some Hungarian political parties are continually in the service of foreigners; earlier, in the service of Moscow and Berlin, while most recently in the service of Brussels. He said the parties controlled from abroad are also blackmailed as DK [Democratic Coalition] and Tisza would long since be gone if they were not financed from Brussels, while opposition party leaders are evidently also being blackmailed with the threat of the lifting of their immunity.
In the Prime Minister’s view, there is money behind the whole thing, the energy companies, trading firms and banks operating in Hungary want bigger profits than they are allowed by the Hungarian national government. Tisza wants to increase the income tax, to tax properties and also businesses because they want to cancel the taxes levied on multinationals, given that this is what Brussels will demand, he said, adding that this is what they are demanding of him as well, except he refuses to comply.
He highlighted that the Tisza tax was not a taxation issue, but a trust issue. At the same time, the national consultation is about the fact that as one of the parties threw into the faces of the Hungarian people that they will not tell them in advance what they are preparing for, it is best to consult the people. Mr Orbán said in the case of an average income, progressive taxation with multiple rates would mean the withdrawal by the state of an extra HUF 242,000. Teachers would earn HUF 30,000 less a month, and HUF 364,000 less annually, nurses would take home HUF 280,000 less a year, police officers HUF 154,000 less, members of the military HUF 476,000 less, while doctors would lose HUF 3,172,000 annually. He observed that people living in Buda and in trendy suburbs “can start taking their purses out” because if the property tax is introduced, then “there will be a heavy levy” in Pasarét, Rózsadomb, Svábhegy and in Pest’s suburban zones.
“It’s best to talk about this in advance, this is why we need to provoke, to bring forward the opinions, the debates about this with the consultation,” so that people cannot say after the elections that as Tisza concealed their real intentions, they had been misled. “We will not allow ourselves to be misled, we should conduct these debates in advance,” he said.
Mr Orbán also said he believes that Hungarian families and the middle classes will, for a long time to come, not be strong enough to give up paying low taxes. High taxes will impoverish the middle classes. “After all, we had 45 years of communism, a chaotic transition of 20 years, meaning that history took its toll on this country from the viewpoint of the economy as well.” Therefore, “what we need is for everyone’s property, incomes and lives to be fully respected,” he said, adding that the property tax also means that not only politicians, but everyone else, too, will have to draw up annual property declarations, and there will also be a register. There will be investigations, the tax authority will come knocking on people’s doors and will say ‘but what about your holiday, what about your income?’ We should leave the people alone, we should allow them to work, we should help them to work, and to keep as much money in their pockets as they can, the Prime Minister laid down.
The Prime Minister said new homes by the tens of thousands will be built as part of the three per cent credit programme now launched by the government. “I believe we hit the right chord on the piano,” he said, stressing his optimism in connection with the programme, stating that this is now an arrangement that “people can envisage themselves in.” He added that this was why they had extended the range of eligibility as far as possible. “We wanted to give everyone an opportunity, and as far as I can see, the people have understood this,” he said.
Mr Orbán recalled that there had been a degree of accumulated frustration, tension and ill feeling in society due to the fact that property prices had increased in excess of their salaries. It was to be feared that entire generations might have the feeling that they would be excluded from the possibility of buying a home of their own. And owning your own home is a Central European phenomenon, “a natural instinct and desire.” The Hungarians have the feeling that if they do not have a roof over their heads in a home they own, they are not safe, Mr Orbán stated.
He mentioned among the effects of the launch of the programme that the rise in rents appears to be stopping, and applications for the expedited authorisation of large construction projects “are pouring in.” He said the programme “opens up a perspective for hundreds of thousands of families.”
In the context of the assassination of American influencer Charlie Kirk, the Prime Minister was asked: Verbal aggression has already emerged in Hungary as well, how can we keep physical violence outside our borders? In his answer, Mr Orbán said “moderation, a civic attitude, calm, composure.” Before anyone says anything harsh, they should count to ten. Before “acting out theatrical performances in which you want to hang or shoot one leader of the country or another,” you should sit down a little bit, and think over: ‘Will this be OK?’ he said. He added that the Hungarians were a reasonable people. They sometimes say harsh things, but when it comes to action, they are usually moderate. We should keep our sobriety, if possible also in speech, the Prime Minister recommended.
Mr Orbán also spoke about the fact that they had succeeded in establishing a special relationship with the United Arab Emirates, “a very swift, dynamic economic partnership is unfolding on the horizon” among others in the energy sector as well as in the areas of artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure. Regarding the latter, this involves the building of large data centres and their supply with green energy.
Mr Orbán said in the next round of negotiations, they will probably be able to conclude a few significant programmes. This cooperation represents an enormous opportunity for Hungary. The United Arab Emirates have a very active investment policy, but at this point in time, they are not present in Central Europe. The Hungarian government thought they should seize the opportunity to become a strategic partner of the Arab country in the region, he said, adding that this year alone, as a result of the strategic cooperation launched, the volume of trade between the two countries has increased by 24 per cent.
