Austrian Politician Would Welcome Viktor Orban As European Commission President

Harald Vilimsky, the top candidate on the EP electoral list of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), wants Viktor Orban at the helm of the European Commission, would rationalize the EU, and sees no possibility for Ukraine to gain EU membership. Orban would be a guarantor of bringing migration to a halt, Vilimsky says.

In the photo released by the Hungarian PM's Press Office, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks in an interview on the program "Good Morning, Hungary!" in the studio of public radio on May 17, 2024 (Photo: MTI/ Hungarian PM's Press Office/Zoltan Fischer)

Vilimsky denied that his party was "pro-Russian", pointing out that it also had close contacts with the United States.

In line with the Austrian tradition, I see myself in the center of the fields of power,

he emphasized.

He would also insist on Austria's neutrality. Neutrality is not only part of Austria's identity, but it can also serve to protect it, since neutral countries are less likely to get involved in conflicts.

Cover photo: In the photo released by the Hungarian PM's Press Office, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks in an interview on the program "Good Morning, Hungary!" in the studio of public radio on May 17, 2024 (Photo: MTI/ Hungarian PM's Press Office/Zoltan Fischer)