Wherever one goes in the world, whether to the East or West, discussions revolve around how to prepare for the changes affecting us in various fields—such as new technologies, new power centers, and new resources, Balazs Orban said.
Brussels is an exception to this, because if you go there, you only experience moral lecturing, superiority, and threats, he noted, adding that this sad reality was witnessed during Hungary's rotating presidency of the European Union.
This must change, he said, and Hungary’s successful six-month presidency should serve as a starting point to demonstrate that things can indeed be done differently.
According to the political director, European elites are attempting to use crises to grab more powers. They claim that crises are international in nature, transcending borders, and therefore powers should be transferred to a supranational empire to resolve them. However, what you can see is that instead of policies getting better, they are getting worse, while the powers have been rather badly used, and bad decisions have been made.
Supranational structures are not working, and the EU must be reformed. Member states must reclaim the right to initiate, or the EU will permanently fall behind in the geopolitical competition, Balazs Orban pointed out.
When asked what impact Donald Tump's presidency can have on Brussels, he said that Europe can only be saved by Europeans. European and member state politicians must act differently and steer the EU’s ship in a new direction, though the winds blowing from Washington will matter greatly.
It is a realistic scenario that national conservative forces determined to protect national sovereignty will feel that there is a tailwind rather than a headwind blowing from Washington and they will strengthen. However, political changes, either underway or in preparation in various European capitals, are also essential, he added.
In the context of the friendly talks between Donald Trump and Viktor Orban earlier and the Hungarian prime minister's rapidly organized visit to Beijing, Balazs Orban noted that this is a situation that Hungarian politics has not been in for the past several hundred years. These are foreign policy achievements that can be built upon, enabling agreements to be reached, and to influence the fate of the world in a way that serves the interests of the Hungarian people.
The PM's political chief also appeared on Kossuth Radio’s morning program, where he discussed how misguided political decisions in Brussels affect people's everyday lives.
If the Brussels elite, which governs EU policies, is fundamentally hostile toward European nations—and therefore toward Hungary as well—this cannot be left to continue as it is. A plan is needed, and that plan must successfully implemented. We must take over Brussels, and Europeans must replace the current elite with a new one,
he stated.
He remarked that for a long time, it seemed as though the United States "had also fallen".
The mainstream was so dominant that many believed change was impossible. But it turned out to be possible, and a 180-degree turn is underway in American politics,
he added.
The same is possible in Europe, though it must be done differently, according to Balazs Orban. He emphasized the need for representation of change in the European Parliament, an anti-establishment opposition in Brussels, and the continuation of the political earthquakes already underway in European capitals and countries.
He highlighted the importance of large member states, such as France and Germany, but stressed that changes in mid-sized countries like Austria, Slovakia, Czechia, Italy, or the Netherlands are also crucial. "Upon these nations," he suggested, "a new alliance or cooperative system could be organized." When asked whether there is enough strength and space to honestly and factually articulate interests and goals, the politician responded that Hungary has this capacity. He noted that Hungary can build on the foundations laid over the past 15 years.
"Hungary is a self-reliant, strengthening and secure country. It is politically stable, has solid economic foundations and a coherent foreign policy strategy," he stated.
The political director stressed that the era of ideology-driven governance is over, and the age of sovereignty is beginning. Only those countries that can make independent decisions—based on the interests of their community and nation—will remain afloat.
"If a country cannot articulate its interests, or if it can but refuses to, or cannot represent them on the international stage, it will be crushed, subordinated to an imperial logic, and pushed to the periphery," he explained.
Balazs Orban expressed confidence that Hungary can avoid such a fate but said it is still uncertain whether Europe as a whole will succeed in doing so.
Cover Photo: Balazs Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister's Political Director, delivers closing remarks at the “Successful Hungarian Presidency 2024 – Opportunity for the European Union” conference organized in Budapest by the XXI Century Institute and Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) on January 20, 2025 (Photo: MTI/Zsolt Szigetvary).
