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The Prime Minister stated that if in the war in Ukraine we continue to wait for the adoption of a peace plan that is acceptable for both parties, there will never be peace.
According to the Prime Minister, there have been very few wars in Europe without communication with the warring parties, and if there is no communication, there is no chance for the war to end. Therefore, communication with both Ukraine and Russia must be maintained.
Mr Orbán said the restoration of peace does not start with a peace plan. First, we need communication, then a ceasefire, and only after that is it possible to prepare a peace plan, he explained. The Prime Minister also mentioned his summer diplomatic tour when he visited Kiev, Moscow, Beijing and also the United States. He said he set out on a peace mission in order to assess the chances of peace, and his impression was that at present neither party wants peace because they both believe that time is on their side.
The Prime Minister stressed that it is necessary to create an international environment which clearly conveys the message that the whole world wants a ceasefire within the shortest possible time. Without this, it will be very difficult to convince the warring parties to start moving in the direction of peace, he observed.
Mr Orbán also spoke about the fact that the Hungarian government had chosen the restoration of competitiveness as a main priority of its EU presidency, and in this regard it stands for the view that forcing a political union would only harm the strengthening of the EU’s competitiveness.
The Prime Minister took the view that the EU green deal must be reconsidered because so far it has been contrary to both the best interests of European businesses and business logic. He mentioned as an example the EU’s recent decision about imposing a tariff on electric vehicles manufactured in China, and in this regard German car manufacturers, too, take the view that this is contrary to their best interests. “Then why do it?” he asked the question.
Additionally, in Mr Orbán’s opinion, it is necessary to reduce red tape, we need fewer bureaucratic procedures and fewer bureaucrats. The Prime Minister also highlighted that we must attract investments back to Europe because the present tendency is that European businesses prefer to invest in North America and China to investing in Europe as the conditions are not attractive enough over here.
In answer to a question about an ever closer union, Mr Orbán pointed out that on the single market there is a need for even closer cooperation, it must be reinforced as much as possible, however, there is no need for a political union, it “should be forgotten” because with that we would deliver a fatal blow to the EU in terms of its competitiveness.
“A political union is a kind of disintegration factor,” the Prime Minister said, adding that in the area of defence it would be important to enhance integration.
Mr Orbán stressed that political challenges were emerging not from the direction of the general, recognised European values; the EU Treaties duly provide for them, and there are no debates regarding them. At present, the war, migration, gender and a workfare society are the topics which are reshaping the political scene in Europe, and we do not have common answers to these. The issue of a political union must be handled carefully because the views in this regard differ, and in this department any attempt at integration could have more of a disintegrating effect, the Prime Minister explained.
Mr Orbán highlighted that if we are forced to combine forces on issues which we disagree on, that will cause the European Union to disintegrate. Migration is an issue that causes disintegration.
“Why do we need it?” the Prime Minister asked. He said it is a serious problem that in Italy and in many other countries, there is an issue with the fact that many migrants have been let in and now finding a way to live together with them is causing difficulties.
“However, there are countries which have never set out on this path. We have never let them in, and so in our country there are no migrants at all, zero,” Mr Orbán stated.
He stressed that for us the problem was not how to live together with them, but how not to let them into our country. These are two different issues, and the two different difficulties cannot be addressed with the same political means.
Meaning that in the context of migration, it would be much better if the countries which do not wish to follow the common migration policy were granted an opt-out. It would be much better to offer them the possibility of an opt-out than forcing them to combine forces with others, leading to conflicts which would cause the entire European structure to disintegrate, Mr Orbán said.
“In every country, the people and their elected leaders should decide about migration, rather than a decision being taken in some imperial centre. We will never accept this,” Mr Orbán stated.
