There Will be No Country to Call Hungary If Brussels Has its Way

On big issues that concern Hungarians and other Europeans alike, the Hungarian government's position is in the majority also in other European countries, PM Orban's policy chief says.

Budapest, 2023. szeptember 22. Orbán Balázs, a miniszterelnök politikai igazgatója beszédet mond a 3. Danube geopolitikai csúcs második napján a fõvárosi Lónyay-Hatvany Villában 2023. szeptember 22-én. MTI/Soós Lajos Fotó: Soós Lajos

If we do what is offered to Hungarians from Brussels in relation to our position on migration, bringing up our children or war, then

in a few decades, there will be no country to call Hungary,

said Balazs Orban, the Hungarian PM's political director, told public media in an interview, pointing out that the proposal by Brussels is based on fundamentally wrong situation assessments.

Referring to Prime Minister Viktor Orban's speech delivered at the Fidesz congress on Saturday, the PM's policy chief said that Hungary is a country that "can say no". He stressed that Hungarian politics is not about frustrating others, those Europeans who have agreed to our becoming part of the European Union.

There is a counter-model that shows that it is possible to organize government policies in a completely different way in Europe and to run a successful country. These two models can coexist in Europe, but in the future, we would obviously like to see more countries taking pride in their national sovereignty, pursuing family-friendly governance, and focusing on enhancing competitiveness and building relationships rather than creating blocs and adopting sanctions policy,

the politician said.

He noted that in the European Parliament elections, there is a good chance that this model will gain wider international recognition in Western European societies. He indicated that this is also supported by studies, which are based on gauging opinions according to a specific methodology in every European country. "On major issues that concern Hungarians and other Europeans alike, the Hungarian government's position – which can be seen as Hungary's national position – is in the majority also in other European countries. After all, if people are asked if they want to go to war with Russia, they will definitely say no. Do you want Ukraine and Russia to make peace? The answer to this is yes in most countries.

And if asked, if they want illegal migration in their country, they will say no,

he highlighted.

According to the PM's political director, all this shows that this policy has a serious basis, and from this, it can be concluded that at the moment, Hungary is the voice of the European people, and at government level, only Hungary is capable of consistently expressing this European majority opinion. 

He added that in the evaluation of the situation shared by the prime minister at the Fidesz congress, Hungary's leaders have experienced the most difficult years of governance. "The Hungarian government came under severe pressure to get involved in the war, and then the negative consequences of the sanctions policy, such as skyrocketing energy prices and inflation, had a serious impact."

"We've been through such a difficult period that we couldn't have imagined, but we managed to deliver on the commitments set as our government program."

"We've been able to protect pensions and family subsidies, as well as to ensure that utility costs are the lowest for Hungarians and that those who want to work have jobs," he said, adding that inflation has also started to decline, so next year the country can return to the massive growth Hungarians have become accustomed to in the past.

Cover photo: Balazs Orban, the Hungarian PM's political director (Photo: MTI/Lajos Soos)