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The Prime Minister stated that Fidesz wanted to join the party family of European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) chaired by Giorgia Meloni.
“We are aware that there are issues that divide us, but I and Giorgia have known each other for years, and she’s doing a very good job in her government role,” Mr Orbán said in reference to the fact that the Italian Right led by Ms. Meloni has been in government in Italy since 2022. He observed that there were differences with some parties of the ECR, for instance regarding the issue of the war in Ukraine.
Concerning the president of Brothers of Italy (FdI) Giorgia Meloni, he said she is a Christian who loves her own country. “Now, she has been given a major role in Europe, and a great deal will depend on her decisions,” Mr Orbán said.
The Prime Minister pointed out that he expected the reinforcement of democracy and a new right-wing majority from the EP elections.
“This European Commission has failed on every count,” including agriculture, the war and migration as well as in the economy, and “therefore, now, they must go […] we need a different commission than the incumbent one which has proved to be the worst in governance,” Mr Orbán stressed.
He added that at the same time, we needed a renaissance on the political Right in Europe. “Right-wing parties must cooperate, we’re in the hands of two ladies who must seek to reach an agreement,” he said, referring to Giorgia Meloni and the leader of the French right-wing National Rally (RN) Marine Le Pen.
As regards the other right-wing group in the European Parliament Identity and Democracy (ID) – of which RN and the party Lega led by Matteo Salvini are also members – Mr Orbán said they are considering multiple options, including a large European right-wing group. “What matters above all is that we take action that is useful for Europe,” Mr Orbán pointed out.
In the interview – which was conducted by leader of the conservative organisation Nazione Futura Francesco Giubilei – Mr Orbán took the view that the European Union resorts to “means of blackmail,” including in the case of Italy the exertion of economic and financial pressure due to the country’s high sovereign debt, and in the case of Hungary due to its gender and migration policies.
“These are political issues, they have nothing to do with the rule of law. We keep resisting, we have a strategy to defend our sovereignty. Italy is different because there is no European Union without Italy, but we’re a country of ten million. However, our struggle against Brussels’ federalism can be a good example for a number of other European nations,” Mr Orbán stated.
In the context of the war in Ukraine, he highlighted that for Hungary “this is not just any conflict, but one that is taking place at our very borders” and in which members of the Hungarian minority serving in the Ukrainian army fight and lose their lives.
He took the view that the war has reached a crossroads, “either we isolate the conflict and find a diplomatic path, or we escalate the war.” He added that “if we allow Ukraine to attack Russia with weapons supplied from Italy, the consequence will be a robust Russian reaction, and NATO’s involvement will only be a step away from that.” He described the EU’s strategy as a failure because it fails to notice that “it’s playing with fire.” He observed that the European population wanted peace, not war, and this “cannot be used as a political toy.” He took the view that the re-election of former US President Donald Trump could bring about a turnaround because if “Trump and the EU wanted it, the war could end within twenty-four hours.”
The European Commission’s migration policy has failed, too, he stressed, describing the Hungarian recipe as simple. “We want to preserve our identity and our stable welfare society system. I protect the borders of my country because as prime minister it is my duty to guarantee the protection of the Hungarian people, […] we must prevent the arrival of illegal migrants in European territories, no one should be allowed to come to Europe anymore without the permission of the nation states,” the Prime Minister explained.
Regarding the antifa activist currently under house arrest Ilaria Salis who has been nominated to the EP by the Italian Greens and Left Alliance (AVS), Mr Orbán said the Hungarians like Italian ladies, “but they don’t like it when a foreigner comes to Hungary to commit crimes and beats up Hungarian citizens.”
Mr Orbán took the view that “there is a single conservative island in the liberal ocean, and that is Hungary,” an island of freedom where everyone is free to criticise gender issues, migration policies and wars without consequences.
