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Mr Orbán said with the establishment of the new European Commission, the European People’s Party entered into a government coalition with the liberals and socialists, and “this will have direct consequences for Hungary.” This government that was formed in Brussels is pro-migration, pro-gender and pro-war, and additionally, its economic policy is also bad for Hungary, he said, adding that as a result, they are compelled to work as Brussels’ opposition, and must resist until they succeed in taking over the majority.
If things continue like this, this commission will kill the European economy, primarily with its policy resulting in high energy prices, the Prime Minister stressed. He indicated that the Patriots for Europe party family will have to build a new majority in Brussels which will happen within a foreseeable time. He mentioned that the groups of the Patriots and conservatives combined were the second strongest Brussels alliance, overtaking the socialists, and he was certain that their numbers would increase “given that the functioning of the current Brussels government is doomed to failure.”
Mr Orbán said they are working hard in Brussels in order for Hungary to have a government which willingly executes Brussels’ policies. “They want to reposition us Hungarians to the side of the Brussels government, but as this is contrary to Hungary’s best interests, we won’t switch sides,” he added. The Prime Minister said “if it can’t be achieved [by Brussels] with fine words, it will be done through political battles.” In his words, it is the impression of this that Ursula von der Leyen and Manfred Weber look upon Hungary not as a partner, not even as an opponent, but as an enemy.
They made their own decision, they want a change of government in Hungary. They even designated a party for this, the Tisza Party and its leader, they want to see them in government in Budapest, the Prime Minister explained. He pointed out that “it’s impossible that Brussels should want to decide what kind of a government Hungary should have, that they want to force on us the Brussels policy which is bad for us and expect us to accept it.” “When they want to impose lieutenants on us from Brussels, we will naturally resist as hard as we can,” he said.
From the EU funds Hungary is entitled to, there is more than EUR 12 billion on Hungary’s account, while we will have to receive the rest of the EU funds in 2027-2028, or else the EU will have no budget as we will not consent to it, the Prime Minister laid down.
Mr Orbán recalled that there was more than EUR 12 billion in EU funds on Hungary’s account which can be used in the Hungarian economy. We are no longer required to draw this sum down, it is already available; Hungarian businesses must implement certain investments and developments in Hungary, they must submit their invoices to the Hungarian government which forwards them to Brussels, and those sums will be reimbursed to us from that EUR 12.5 billion. This sum of EUR 12.5 billion is enough to satisfy the needs of the Hungarian economy up to the end of 2026, he said, adding that we are also entitled to further funds, over and above this sum, and whether we will receive these funds or not will be a problem for after 2026. However, in his opinion, Hungary will receive those funds, too. “We will receive them because talks about the seven-year budget for the period after 2027 have already begun, and the adoption of that budget requires unanimity. And I can tell you with full confidence that in 2027-2028 we will have to receive the funds we will not have received in 2025-2026. Or else, the EU will have no budget, we will not grant our consent,” he said.
Therefore, in his view, there is no point in worrying about EU funds. “There is a lot of unpleasantness,” but there is absolutely no doubt that the Hungarian economy will be given access to these funds, he stated in summary.
He also spoke about the fact that 12 to 15 per cent of the pay rise for teachers, too, will come from funds originating from Brussels. While we must provide the remaining 85 per cent from local funds, it is some convenience that we can obtain 15 per cent from the EU and can channel it into the Hungarian economy and the Hungarian education system, he indicated.
Mr Orbán also recalled that there was no government in Europe’s two largest economies, or to be more precise, there were caretaker governments, and there was not much point in concluding long-term deals with caretaker governments. In France, the situation is somewhat better in that there, there is a president of the republic elected by the people. However, in Germany, the situation is more difficult, he observed.
He stressed that the European economy was falling apart at the seams due to the fact that in recent years Brussels had pursued a flawed economic policy, and in consequence of its decisions, energy prices had drastically increased. In Hungary there is protection for families against increased household utility bills, but we are unable to protect our businesses. The high energy prices caused by Brussels restrict the competitiveness of Hungarian businesses, he warned.
By his account, the question is how to induce Brussels to change its economic policy and to guide energy prices back to a tolerable level. This is what the Hungarian EU presidency has been working on in the past six months, this is why they created the competitiveness pact which Brussels would be required to implement in the next six months. This will be a major battle in the six months ahead, he indicated.
Evaluating his visit to the Vatican on Wednesday, Mr Orbán highlighted that the issue of war and peace was in the focus of the thoughts of the Vatican’s diplomacy and the Pope, meaning that “I went to be best possible place for reinforcement.” He also said after he was received by Pope Francis at an audience, he met with the prime minister and foreign minister of the Vatican with whom he spoke partly about international affairs and partly about bilateral relations between the Vatican and Hungary. And “we received reassuring confirmation that Hungary can continue to rely on the Catholic Church and its headquarters in Rome, and not only on the issue of peace,” he said in continuation, but also on all other issues where the Catholic Church can help, he said, mentioning caring for the needy, the elderly and the sick and educating young people as examples.
He added that cooperation between the Vatican and Hungary was excellent, dating back many long years. After the fall of communism, an interstate agreement was reached between the Vatican City State and Hungary which settled the status of the Catholic Church in Hungary and which then served as the basis for settling the status of Protestant churches as well.
In the context of the Russo-Ukrainian war and the role of the United States, he stressed that the United States was one of the protagonists of the war without which it would have ended a long time ago. Without America’s involvement, Ukraine would not be able to put up meaningful resistance, he pointed out.
He also said the presence of the Americans in European security has been an unavoidable fact since World War II, and the United States – which is an ally of Hungary – plays an essential role in the European security architecture. Meaning that if they packed up and left – which is a permanently available option – that very moment a security vacuum would develop in Europe, he warned.
The Prime Minister stated that a ceasefire must first be concluded at the end of the Russo-Ukrainian war, but thereafter “we will also have to settle Europe’s security situation.”
Russia, too, has changed, having gained much strength in this war, while Ukraine, too, has changed, having been significantly weakened. It has been revealed that in a military sense Europe is extremely weak, we do not even have enough equipment and munitions to defend ourselves in the event of a conflict with the Russians, while we do not have the money either, the Prime Minister said. In his words, “every sign of Europe’s weakness has emerged at once.”
He added that after the war we would have to think about a solution for a new post-war European arrangement which guarantees the security of European countries and also designates the place of the United States. The Prime Minister described the implementation of this long and complex series of negotiations as a task for the next year or two.
He stressed that it was causing chaos that at present “there are two US presidents,” the incumbent pro-war president “supported by international power groups belonging to the likes of George Soros,” and Donald Trump who “will make attempts to restore peace.”
Mr Orbán said “enough is enough,” referring to the fact that the US Secretary of State said from the other side of the Atlantic, “from a place of security and comfort” that it is time for Kiev to reduce the conscription age from 25 to 18 years which means that “even more young Ukrainians should die.” The fact that he has the audacity to tell this to the face of the world clearly shows that it was time for change in the United States, he observed, adding that the Ukrainians are stuck in a difficult situation, and opted for the wrong strategy when, upon pressure from the United States and Britain, in April 2022 they refused to agree to a ceasefire with Russia.
Describing the whole situation as absurd, Mr Orbán mentioned that with the inauguration of President Donald Trump on 20 January, “things will smooth out, will become simpler, more manageable,” but until then we are close to peace and in a difficult and dangerous situation all at once.
The Prime Minister said when in Rome, he also met with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni; in addition to the issue of peace, migration was the main topic of their meeting. He said the two governments are firmly and robustly opposed to all kinds of migration and want to change the Brussels policy in this regard.
In Hungary, the Tisza Party opted for a new aggressive style which rather than participating in the debate, chooses to sweep everything off the table, Mr Orbán explained. He said we all know people with such an aggressive style at the workplace or in the family, they are awfully unpleasant fellows, you cannot talk sense to them, the only thing you can do is stop them. He said in politics this is the duty of spokespersons. Tamás Menczer did the right thing when he “went and stopped this awfully unpleasant, aggressive politics and its representative,” he pointed out.
The Prime Minister recalled that in addition to having been to Rome this week, he also met with some important actors of the German economy in Hungary. They are struggling with enormous difficulties, this is the first time since the beginning of the 2000s that factories are again being closed down in Germany. “Not one, not two, but many,” he said. In his words, therefore we must very much appreciate the projects that remain operational in Hungary and which the Left in Hungary casually dismisses as “assembly plants.”
The German workers who work in these factories in Germany today are having to worry every day about whether they will still have a job tomorrow. We must create a competitive environment – so far we have succeeded – which ensures that the plants operating in Hungary are not closed down, he argued.
In his view, these are extremely valuable factories, production sites, investments, and we have a vested interest in saving them, regardless of the fact that in German industry there is evidently a major problem. Mr Orbán said also yesterday he had talks regarding the fact that rather than closing these factories down, they will be developed. BMW is now building its plant in Hungary because they take the view that while there is trouble in Germany, the Hungarian economic environment is more favourable for them.
According to the Prime Minister, if Hungary manoeuvres cleverly and maintains the policy of economic neutrality – meaning that rather than solely focusing on Brussels, the Chinese and American markets are also important for Hungary, in addition to the European, and we strike a balance, pursuing an economic policy based on economic neutrality – “we’ll be fine.”
The Demján Sándor Programme is a part of this, he said, highlighting that we had never before had a programme promoting Hungarian small and medium-sized businesses on such a scale in Hungary, even though an Orbán Government introduced the first one similar to this as well. At the beginning of the 2000s they devised and introduced the Széchenyi Plan with György Matolcsy. However, that one was on a much lesser scale than this, he recalled.
Mr Orbán said there are around 900,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Hungary, providing jobs for two thirds of workers. It is therefore key that the operations of these business, too, should be sound. It is one thing that we must keep large western investments and plants alive, but small and medium-sized businesses must also be developed, and the Demján Sándor Programme offers a chance for just that, the Prime Minister said.
He indicated that the government does not have the ability to develop small and medium-sized businesses itself; there is the Chamber of Commerce for that. The ministry is not an economic development centre; it is able to make decisions, to adopt good regulations and to create a favourable environment in a best-case scenario, but conducting such a programme is not a ministerial duty, he pointed out.
Therefore – said the Prime Minister – it is very important that they managed to come to an agreement with the new executive board of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry regarding the implementation of the Demján Programme. “I could also say that business itself is taking care of this; we are providing the funds and the rules for it,” he said.
In the context of the parliamentary elections held in Romania a few days ago, Mr Orbán said the success of RMDSZ (Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania) also strengthens us “internal Hungarians or ‘small’ Hungarians who live here;” at the end of the day, we are a serious nation. How much a nation is able to recognise imminent danger is a measure of its quality, and if it recognises an imminent threat, whether it is able to take action.
Now in Romania, a dangerous situation has evolved, and the Hungarian community is a community with a state-forming tradition, both in an intellectual and political sense, which is able to recognise that danger. It identifies that threat and is able to take collective action, collective action with a view to averting that threat, he said.
“We can do one thing for our part: we’re trying to develop amicable relations with Romania in order to achieve a more moderate political environment for the Hungarians living there,” he observed.
He highlighted the significance of the fact that we managed to achieve Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area and the “elimination of the Romanian-Hungarian border” during Hungary’s EU presidency. This is especially important for the people living there, is also extremely advantageous for business, and naturally, this is likewise in the best interests of the Romanians, Mr Orbán stressed.
“No one could achieve this for Bulgaria and Romania previously. There was political impotence and a stalemate. As far as I can see, we have managed to resolve this. We have yet to take the last decision, but we came to an agreement with everyone, and I think it’s a major gesture on Hungary’s part to Romania that it is able to achieve Romania’s Schengen membership during the Hungarian presidency. I sincerely hope that regardless of the president they will elect at the weekend, this will be a good start, a good starting point,” the Prime Minister said.
